Pestilence
by uhnope
Summary: Years of peace seemed too good to be true. A virus of unknown origin spawns in Dreamland, leaving only a handful of survivors to evade the death that pursues them day and night. Is there a cure, or will the sickness leave them for dead?
1. Chapter 1: Reoccurring Dreams

Disclaimer: I do not own Kirby, or anyone from the Kirby anime.

~Chapter 1~

Dark haze floated like an eerie spirit across the woods. Black mist clung to the ground persistantly, unwilling to lift to the sour breeze that stiffly blew by. Dingy clouds clogged the skies, darkening the landscape further, and offering no chance of sunlight. Nor rain, nor any sort of precipitation. The vegetation that once thrived here was grayed and shrivled, untouched by the coolness of rain or by the tender warmth of sunshine. What held them were weak, spindly branches that rattled a hollow sound in the weak wind...it was a dead forest.

Among the darkened scenery, was a splash of brightness, seeming to glow in contrast to the dimness. A pair of bright blue orbs were attatched to the brightly colored body, and they wandered the morose world briefly. A golden cape trimmed black at the edges tagged along behind the wandering puff.

It had been quite a few years since the fall of Nightmare, and his town had expeirienced the luxury of peace and tranquility for many, many months. The peace had also nurtured him as well, growing him from a warrior infant to an older, more expeirienced soldier. Although still in his early teen years, Kirby felt like a veteran fighter, and the town's protector. He had his own trademarks now, including the gold and black cape he wore, and the red sword he carried. A weapon fabled to be the counterpart of Galaxia, known as Andromeda.

Kirby now walked among the ruin, remembering the times where it was once a better place. Cappy Town, as well, had fallen to ruins. The air was tainted with the acrid stench of smoke from the frequent fires that always burned, mingled with the sharp odor of singed flesh and bodies...

No one is sure what happened, but it all started with a...

"Kirby!"

The puffball's eyes darted up, recognizing the cry of his friend, Fumu. He cantered, then ran, then sprinted in the direction of the distress call. Again and again, he heard her calling. With each scream, she sounded more and more desperate, strained, as if something terrible was happening. Kirby kept running, "Fumu! Where are you?" he called, and what returned his question was a massing, seething din of screams and crying. All of them bearing origin to those he trusted and loved. All of them were screeching agony, and Kirby could not only hear the unbearable noise, but _feel_ it. It thrummed inside his skull painfully, making his pace slow and halt completely. He fell, catching himself on his paws, and continued to sink agonizingly to the ground as the shrieking voices painfully ricocheted within his skull.

...

In a moment, it was all over.

Kirby blinked, feeling a warm shaft of sunlight slant through his window, onto his face.

All was still peaceful. It had all been a nightmare.

With a small groan, Kirby pushed himself upright, and swung out of bed, mind numb with grogginess. As he pushed his way out through the door, he saw the sun fixed in the center of the sky, indicating noontime. Sighing, Kirby retreated back into his dwelling, put on his garment-the cape-and scurried back outiside.

The young warrior gathered the broken fragments of his dream. Dreamland had appeared to him as a desolate wasteland, tainted by the stench of burnt bodies. Then there was the screaming. Kirby, wincing, recalled the nearly realistic pain the screaming had caused him. He had never thought a dream could make him feel such pain.

"It's just a dream..." he told himself. Perhaps it was that watermelon last night, the one that didn't look quite ripe. Yes, that must have been it.

"Kirby!" called to him a familiar voice. He looked up to see his friend, Fumu, jogging across the grass toward him. Just behind her was her younger brother, Bun.

"Morning, Fumu." Kirby said, nodding to the sixteen-year-old and the fourteen-year-old kids. Fumu giggled,

"More like, good afternoon. You slept awfully late today, Kirby. You're alright?" Inquired Fumu, concern in her emerald shaded eyes. Kirby smiled back,

"Yeah, just...a dream." he admitted, hesitantly.

"You seemed subdued for a moment." Commented Bun, "Maybe some soccer will take your mind off it." he suggested, but Kirby declined,

"That's alright. I kinda want to think about it a little...it was just...wierd." Kirby said slowly. Fumu patted his head affectionately,

"Well, we'll be in the castle courtyard if you need us. See you." Fumu said, and jogged off, her younger brother by her side. Kirby watched them go, and sighed quietly,

"What a fox..." he murmured, blushing a bit, but shrugged it off. He made his way to the woods to walk.

...

"It was just a dream." Kirby repeated to himself, but his conscious refused to release the feeling of foreboding that clung with the fragments of his nightmare. He wished it would just pass over, allowing him some peace-of-mind, like any other dream, but this one pricked and bothered him like a splinter. And this paticular splinter he wanted out as soon as possible.

But then again, what if it was a sign...a prophetic dream about the future, warning him of this upcoming danger?

_You've been watching too much sci-fi._ The pink puffball told himself. This is just a dream, and perhaps he still felt troubled because he was still tired. Yes, perhaps it was just fatigue...it was all in his head...

"Some things cannot be shrugged off and forgotten."

Kirby immeadiately recgonized the voice and looked up, seeing his mentor balancing on a tree branch above his head. Those eerie, amber eyes stared down at him, making him feel like a premature apprentice again. "How...?" he began,

"You were talking to yourself." Meta Knight said, leaping gracefully down from the tree to land lightly on the ground, "You have been having reoccurring dreams, haven't you?"

_He sees straight through me, as always. _Kirby thought. And it wa true. This dream had only been one in a series of nightmares that had tormented him for some time now. But insofar, this one had been the most vivid, not to mention the most painful..."Yes." Kirby replied quietly.

Meta Knight's eyes flashed in interest, but he remained silent. "It's been going on for four, now five, days now..." Kirby murmured, "This one was the most...clear..." He looked at his mentor, "What...why...am I dreaming these things?"

The veteran warrior shook his head, "I cannot say, but perhaps it is your sub-conscious telling you that our series of peaceful years are drawing to a close again. A new danger must be abroad."

Kirby sighed, "I'd rather think it was just bad melons." he said. To his surprise, Meta Knight snickered a bit,

"I too, but ignoring these dreams could possibly ensure our doom. Though you may be right..." he said.

"You know something, don't you?" Kirby interrupted, "You sound so sure that these dreams are real, although there is every chance they could just be harmless. You speak as if you've seen it before..." Kirby stared at his friend seriously, "Did you...?"

The blue puffball sighed, and turned his gaze away. Kirby thought he saw his eyes flicker blue, just for a heartbeat, "You have learned much, Kirby." He looked back at his apprentice, "It is true. These dreams are not a coincedence. I've seen this happen before..." he broke off, and Kirby could've sworn he detected a note of desperation and misery in the knight's voice.

Kirby knew his mentor had seen a lot while he had been apart of the GSA, and the knowledge that he knew that his dreams of Cappy Town and Dreamland falling to ruin were true, sent chills through his pink body. A new fragment from his dream surfaced, and a question came from him unexpectadly, "Does Galaxia have a counterpart?"

Meta Knight froze, and stared at Kirby. Was it possible...? "Why do you ask?" asked the knight.

"I dreamed about a sword, a red sword named Andromeda. It was mine, and...I'm not sure how or why, but I just knew it was the counterpart of Galaxia, and..." Kirby broke off. He didn't own any weapons nowadays, because his signature inhale ability usually provided him with a worthy selection of weapons. So why would he dream of owning a sword...?

Meta Knight looked at Kirby, then turned away, "Yes...it was fabled that Galaxia was created alongside another sacred blade...Andromeda. Both were considered to possess a will, and spirit of their own. It was said when Nightmare sent demon beasts to steal the swords, Andromeda was hidden in a ripple in space. Galaxia had been stolen before it could be hidden." Meta Knight said, "The only reason you would dream of it...is that..."

He was cut off, however, by the sound of a piercing scream from the town. Both puffball warriors whipped around to see Fumu sprinting toward them through the trees, panting and gasping as she neared them.

"Fumu, what's wrong?" Meta Knight demanded, and Fumu spent a few seconds to catch her breath before she answered in broken urgency,

"Town...people...blood everywhere..." she gasped.

...

_Hailfire Vulpes: Hehe, cliffhanger=evil. 3_

_But anyways, how did the first chapter go? I will be accepting ideas and stuff along the way to make this story epic. I'm not sure about adding any O.C's yet, but I'll let you know when I need ideas for O.C's._

_Warning: Flamers will be prosecuted, and shot. Survivors will be shot again._


	2. Chapter 2: Don't Look At It

_Hailfire Vulpes: Before we get to the second chapter, I'd like to say some things I forgot in the first chapter. I was writing it late last night, and I completely blanked, so here we go:_

_Credit to Lunara the ara for the idea of making Kirby older, the name Adromeda, and the unknown disease topic._

_Once again, I'm so sorry for neglecting this, but since I'm more awake now, we shouldn't have a problem. :D_

_Now then..._

~Chapter 2~

Kirby and Meta Knight matched each other in their fast pace, hearing now more screams erupting from the village. Fumu had fallen behind them, still too tired to keep up.

Kirby and Meta Knight weaved between the trees that barred the way, urgency rising as each scream sounded, each one more desperate than the last. They finally crested the hill in front of them, to behold a most repulsive sight...

Several Cappies were laying in the streets, their figures indistinguishable by the coats of random blood that splattered them. The scarlet fluid lay in puddles in the streets, and more Cappies were collapsing into the blood...

So much blood...

And so unexplained. Meta Knight and his apprentice slowly paced into the town, eyes wide with shock and disbelief. He would have assumed this was the doing of a demon beast, but the buildings were miraculously unscathed, and the only sound came from the suffering townspeople.

"What...is this?" Meta Knight wondered out loud, and his attention was drawn to a small boy tottering across the street. His eyes were closed, for some reason, and his arms held out as if he were trying to feel his way around. Suddenly he fell, attempted to get back up, but sank to the ground, crying. He saw that the boy wept no tears, however.

Kirby's face had gone a startling pale pink, his blue eyes wide as moons as he stared at the bloodsoaked town. He took a step back, overwhelmed, "How did this happen...?" he asked no one in paticular. But Fumu, who had caught up with them, answered his question,

"We don't know...I was going to find a new soccer ball, since Bun lost the other one, but I saw everyone coming out of their houses, and they just all...collapsed." Fumu's eyes were wide and mournful, "Most were coughing up blood, but some just wandered around as if dazed...some just walked out and fell down...I got scared, so I went to find you." She took in a shuddering breath, and Kirby edged close to her comfortingly.

Meta Knight was still focusing on the townspeople, "We have to leave." he said suddenly. Kirby and Fumu looked at him in alarm,

"What? Why?" Fumu gasped, panicked suddenly. Meta Knight looked from her, to Kirby, and then to the suffering Cappies,

"This is the danger that Kirby has dreamed about. The Pestilence. I've seen it happen, I knew it was to come, but..." The knight stopped, realizing Fumu was staring hard at him,

"You knew about this? Why didn't you say anything?" she asked, and Kirby stepped in to answer,

"I've only just started talking about these dreams. They've been reoccuring, and Meta Knight says..."

"Nevermind that." Meta Knight cut him off, "We will explain later. What matters now is that we escape the town before the virus begins to spread."

"Wait! I need to warn Bun!" Fumu cried, and dashed to the castle, narrowly avoiding an infected person.

"Fumu!" Kirby cried after her, and Meta Knight turned to him,

"Have you learned how to transform your cape yet?" he asked urgently. Kirby jumped, alarmed,

"Well...sorta, but I..." Meta Knight grabbed his paw,

"'Sorta' will have to do. We cannot get near those people." With these words, he whipped out his broad, powerful dark wings, and with Kirby in tow, rose into the air. Kirby cried out with alarm at how fast they were ascending, and Meta Knight looked down at him, "Now, Kirby!" he demanded. Kirby's eyes widened in fear,

"But I don't think..." the wind swallowed his misgivings, and abruptly, Meta Knight's paw was gone,

"Don't think Kirby!" he called, and soared off. Kirby, panicked, felt the air hold him for a slight second before he felt himself falling.

"C'mon...c'mon...wings! I need wings!" he muttered, and for a split moment wished he still had the ability to float again, as he did as a child. But unfortuately, the ability was lost with age, and he had been trying to turn his cape into wings ever since.

Kirby could feel the edges of his vision blurring, and the red stain below rushed at him faster and faster. Kirby felt a scream rise in his throat, when suddenly...

_Fwip!_

He flew up, as if he had opened a parachute suddenly. A tawny feather drifted past his face. He did not hear the ripple of his cape, but felt something feathery and large portruding from his back. He turned slightly, to see two large, golden-brown wings spanning over him, looking like that of a hawk's plumage. The pink puff smiled, but realized too soon he had no idea how to fly these.

As in in response to his thought, the wind jerked him. Kirby beat his wings uselessly through the air, scattering the golden feathers through the zephyrs. "Useless wings!" he grunted in fear, as the earth swooped into him.

...

Meta Knight turned around sharply, hearing a thud, and saw a tangle of tawny feathers branching off from a pink ball. He had nearly reached the castle doors when Kirby had crash-landed a few feet behind. He paced forward a few steps, standing over his ruffled apprentice, who raised his head and returned his glare,

"Thanks for the heart-attack!" Kirby spat, pushing himself to his feet, "I have to admit, it was a little too exhilerating for me..." he winced as he moved his wings close to his body.

Meta Knight smiled inwardly. Another lesson covered, "It's better than boring drills though, isn't it?" he asked. Kirby grunted in response, and walked past him toward the doors, "Are you alright?" he asked his student, seeing the faint look of strain on his face,

"Fine. I might've sprained a wing though, from the landing." He muttered, and Meta Knight smiled,

"It wasn't too bad a landing for someone who hasn't even unleashed his wings." He mused, "We'll get to flying another day. Where is Fumu?" he then asked.

"I thought you knew. You didn't do a face-plant in the dirt." Kirby replied irrtably, and shrugged, "Maybe the courtyard?"

The two puffballs made their way through the building, and into the large expanse of grass, centered by an enormous fountain. They looked around a bit, before Meta Knight spotted Fumu several yards away. Bun was standing by her, but for some reason, Fumu looked destraught.

Kirby and Meta Knight exchanged glances, and strafed over to the siblings.

Tear streaks were marked under the young girl's eyes, and her hands were covering her mouth as if she stifled a scream. Kirby looked at Bun, who was staring blankly at his sister. He didn't look abnormal, so why was Fumu crying?

Meta Knight looked from Bun, to Fumu, and said, "Fumu...what is it?"

The sixteen-year-old stared at him, and then Kirby, and pointed at Bun. She looked as if she was having difficulty summoning words. Her sobs made her words incoherent and slow. Kirby examined Bun again, and this time the boy spoke,

"Hi."

It was only one word, but it sounded so chillingly distorted, Kirby found himself shivering. There was just something unnatural about the way he was speaking...it was as if it were not Bun talking, but something talking _for_ him.

Then it revealed itself.

A thin trail of blood dripped from Bun's mouth, and when he opened it to speak again, it cascaded like a waterfall, only as the blood poured, it was darker and darker...

When the horrible river stopped, black blood lay around Bun's feet. Fumu shrieked and staggered backwards. Meta Knight was at her side, supporting her in case she fell. "We have to leave, now!" Meta Knight commanded firmly. Fumu whirled to face him,

"But we've got to help him! He's my brother! We can't just leave him here for dead!" she wailed, tears streaming down her face,

"Fumu...we can't help him." Meta Knight said slowly. Fumu covered her mouth, and her chest began heaving with rapidly accelerating breaths.

"Fumu..." Kirby said, but the girl was panicking outright, her hyperventalating loud and laden with sobs.

"Fumu!" Meta Knight grabbed her hand and pulled her to eye level with him, "Listen to me. No, stop breathing like that and _listen!_" Kirby froze, seeing Meta Knight's eyes fade from amber to red, knowing that he was truely angry now, "We cannot help him. This disease has no known cure, and most are to die within days of falling ill! I will not let you be one of them. Now you must trust me and listen to what I say."

Fumu whimpered, and nodded, unable to summon words. Meta Knight squeezed her hand, ever so slightly, "We will not forget Bun," he said, his eyes softening, "But it's important we escape before we catch the virus. I will explain everything to you once we are safe." he promised, and Fumu nodded, still unable to talk. He gripped Fumu's hand firmly, and Kirby moved to his mentor's other side, grabbing his paw. Meta Knight's wings shot out, and thrust down, with effort as he tried to support both minors' wieght, and lifted into the sky.

Fumu looked down, and saw Bun stagger after them, before he collapsed on the ground. He did not get back up, and a growing black puddle formed around his body.

"Don't look at it." Kirby murmured sadly.


	3. Chapter 3: We Have To Escape

~Chapter 3~

The town below was a spot of red, smelling sourly of blood and sickness. Kirby felt somewhat guilty that his mentor was flying for him, when he had wings himself, but he still felt unsure of trying out another disatrous flight, and kept his mouth shut. Meta Knight wasn't complaining, nor showing any signs that the weight of the two teens were hindering his flight.

Fumu had been silent as the town passed by below, her usually bright eyes dulled with misery. Kirby sympathized with her, seeing as how he was good friends with Bun as well. But loosing a friend was not the same as loosing a sibling. You might as well lose a limb.

The forest loomed below, but Meta Knight did not descend until they were miles from the infected town. Then he angled his dark wings earthward on a gently sloping wind current. The landing wasn't so graceful, however. The triad had all succeeded in a face-plant upon making contact with the ground. Kirby winced as the tumble jostled his sprained wing.

Fumu picked herself up, hesitantly, looking numb with the prospect of the lightning-quick events that had just taken place. The town was bloody, her brother was dead, and she and her friends were as good as exiled. She looked expectantly at Meta Knight, clearly not forgetting that he had promised to explain what the current state-of-affairs was.

The blue knight met her gaze evenly, and sighed, "Yes Fumu, I know what is happening..." he began. Kirby turned his head to listen. He edged over to Fumu, and urged her to sit down next to him, seeing how the poor girl still wasn't quite steady yet. She sat down, too numb to feel grateful for her friend's comfort.

"I have seen an epidemic like this, years ago." Meta Knight said, "This epidemic was called the Pestilence, and was thought to be extinct...until now. Its origins are unknown, and so far the disease is uncurable...seeing as how it can kill its victim within a week of being infected. It was rumored to be a form of demon beast, but since Nightmare is defeated, there are no more of them."

Kirby blinked, knowing that was his doing, with a slight pang of pride, "So, if the demon beasts are extinct, then that means the Pestilence isn't one, right?" Kirby inquired. Meta Knight shook his head,

"As far as we know, there are no survivors of Nightmare's army. The origins of the plague remain a mystery."

Fumu looked up, and for the first time since they abandoned Cappy Town, she spoke, "But what exactly _is_ the Pestilence? What does it do?"

"It is a disease as unpredictable and mysterious as its roots." Meta Knight replied, "The most common effects are heavy secretion of blood through violent coughing fits, and an unnatrally high tempature. Others become blinded and confused, and some have even experienced amnesia...There have been other effects too, some appearing more often than others, more violent than others..."

Kirby saw Fumu tear up at the mention of some effects being more violent than others, and he knew she was thinking about her lost brother.

"And," Meta Knight continued, "it is said the Pestilence affects the land itself, by killing the vegetation and plant life. It is also said to ravage the body in ways that are not seen." The warrior paused, and Kirby saw blue tinting the amber of his eyes, "They turn family member on family member. Friend on friend. Neighbor on neighbor...no one trusts anyone to be healthy, and soon accusations of cure-hoarding and greed fly about. People die, not just by disease but also by murder...soon the town tears itself apart. The sick are abandoned to die, or killed on sight and burnt for fear of contagiousness, and the healthy are accused of hiding a cure...the epidemic enters the town and ravages it into chaos, allowing it to be destroyed from the inside out...that is the true evil behind the Pestilence..."

When Meta Knight had finished, Fumu was quiet, and suddenly she began shaking. Pitious whimpers escaped her, and she put her hands to her eyes to staunch the flow of tears. Kirby knew she was envisioning her town, the one she had grown up in, her friends, everyone she knew...coming to a bloody, burning death. Kirby recalled his dream, and felt a horrible ache in his heart.

This wasn't just a pest of a nightmare, it was true, and it was happening now. His friends were dying, if not already dead. He wished it _was _just a dream, a horrible, horrible dream. After all, dreams were non-practical. They vanished over time...but wishing for it all to be an illusion was a pointless exertion of energy, and a trick to the mind. If what was happening was happening, he needed to be strong...

Meta Knight sighed, turning away from his friends so they did not see his amber eyes fade to a light blue out of misery. Too many times had he seen the effects of people infected. He remembered them vividly, and was seeing them all again. But this time, it wasn't just him. God, he wished it was just him. But it wasn't, and these two children were going through what he had to go through...but they were just too young. No one so young should have to see their friends die in a slick of their own blood, and their family members turn on one another...they shouldn't have to go through the pain of losing a loved one so young in life...and forcing to accept the fact that they would never see their home again...and the bitter knowledge that they could die as well...God, why did it have to be Cappy Town?

After several minutes of silence, a stiff, cold wind blew by. Kirby shuddered, and stared at the sky, which was turning gray with shafts of dingy clouds, "It's cold. But it's June...how could it be so cold?" he asked.

"Another effect of the Pestilence." replied Meta Knight, and then he knew he had to get these two out of here. Already he could see gray tinting the leaves around him, "We have to get moving." he said, and the two teens rose to their feet.

Kirby flexed his hawk wings, flinching at how they sang with bitter pain as he moved them. Carefully, he folded them into his body, and let them take the shape of his golden cape again. The pain was gone.

Meta Knight gestured toward the distant mountains, "I had the Halberd hidden there now, since the king had found out about it years ago. For the good of all, I had to relocate it." He looked at Kirby, and he met his gaze. They both remembered that adventure, where Kirby had taken the wheel of the Halberd as a mere toddler. And now, it may be required again.

"So, we head for the mountains, get on the Halberd, then what?" Kirby asked.

"We hopefully make it off Popstar before we ourselves are carrying the disease. We find a new planet...far away...find help..." Meta Knight sighed, "First priority, we get to the mountains. It is about a two-day walk from here. Faster if we fly, but since Kirby is inexperienced at flight, we will have to walk." Kirby scowled at his comment,

"I hurt my wing, that's why I can't fly." he muttered, and was ignored. For then, Meta Knight, Fumu, and Kirby had begun their escapade from the infected planet they once knew as home...

Oh, the melodrama...


	4. Chapter 4: Raising Hell in the Castle

_Hailfire Vulpes: WARNING: Gory deaths ahead._

~Chapter 4~

Nearly too dark to see, it was. Meta Knight's luminescent eyes were the only things that broke the thick darkness of the inflicted night.

All the day, his depressed group of three had trekked on behind him, stunned to a somber silence which wrenched at the warrior's heartstrings. It almost hurt to see his lively apprentice, and the beautiful Fumu so downcast, so lost in a state of mourning, and somehow, it made him feel strangely angered. They did nothing to derserve this.

But back to the current affairs, Meta Knight, although leading a band of sad children, he found that their pace was hastened, despite their gloomy attitudes. Mournful as they were, they were determined to abandon the planet for their lives. For they weren't alone. They had each other.

Meta Knight sighed, his mind suddenly shifting to a darker thought. What if one of then _did_ fall sick? He winced, envisioning Kirby or Fumu, downed by a merciless ailment that gave them no peace...forcing them to suffer...would the knight have to kill them, if they did indeed catch the illness?

He shut his eyes, and shook his head almost violently. No, it wouldn't happen. They would be just fine. Everyone in the group of three would be okay. He sighed, and felt his paw grip Galaxia's hilt, which redirected his thoughts from somber to wonder. Why did Kirby dream of Andromeda? Was it possible that he was destined to wield such a blade, as he, Meta Knight, had been chosen by Galaxia to weild it? However, Meta Knight had recalled having no such foreshadowing dreams of the kind, leading up to the time of when he claimed the sacred sword. Or perhaps he did, and didn't remember. Either way, it was a strange phenomenon...

It had been several hours since the teenagers had fallen asleep, and though his better judgement told him their effort and moods would be refreshed after a good night's sleep, his instincts told him to run now, rest later. There would be time. He began to rouse the twosome, "Wake up. It's time we were moving." he whispered.

...

"What are you doing in my throne room?" Blasted a voice, high pitched with anger.

Several Cappies stood in the room, facing their monarch, the giant fowl himself, King Dedede. Beside him was the advisor, a snail known as Escargon, who seemed to cower at the sight of the arms the villagers weilded. It looked like a riot, and the sight of the blood matting their bodies made his skin prickle.

"The king is not ill." One of the townspeople said, and a babble started up, incoherent and indescribable. His question unanswered, and growing more furious, King Dedede bellowed his rage of being intruded again, "What are you villagers doing, storming the castle as if you had rights!" he roared, "Do you not know this is royal property?"

"He doesn't even look touched by this...this sickness. " said a Cappy,

"No smell of blood..."

"He must have a cure around here..."

"The greedy oaf must be hiding the cure from us!"

"Why, does his majesty want us to perish a agonizing death?" More gibberish.

Dedede blinked, "What do you mean, agonizing death, cure? Get out of my throne room! Escargon, make them leave!" he ordered. The snail nodded, and slithered up to the mob, looking as surperior as possible,

"His Majesty requests you angry townsfolk leave the premises before he calls for reinforcements..." Escargon said, gesturing toward the door.

"I will, in two seconds if they don't get out!" Dedede put in angrily.

"He's hiding an antidote!" screamed a Cappy, "That's why he isn't suffering, like us."

"Traitor!" They screeched.

Dedede stared dumbfounded at the seething crowd of blood-covered townspeople. Had something happened while he had been watching Oprah? "Escargon! I said make them leave!" he growled.

Escargon stared over the angry mass, "His Majesty is quite agitated now, and would like if you all..." his threat was ended with a shriek of horror as the Cappies pounced upon him all at once, wielding pitchforks, knives, and miscellanious arms they owned.

"Escargon!" Dedede called, and to his horror, he saw blood spreading across the floor from where the Cappy ambush was taking place. Finally, the penguin hefted himself out of his throne, and plowed into the mass, throwing townspeople off the vastly outnumbered assistant.

He gasped in shock. The royal advisor was lying crumpled on the ground, eyes wide with shock but glazed over. The shell was smashed in, the shards tangled in a twist of bloody organs, some of which still gave a few final pulses. Pitchforks and daggers impaled the gray body, making it look flattened and pinned to the floor. Dedede stared in horror, yet blinding rage at the snail's murderers, "You damned freaks! What have you done?"

Cries of "Traitor!" rang out, and the Cappies surged toward their king, brandishing their household arms as they tackled and stabbed at the penguin monarch. Dedede had begun to fight them off, but the massing of persons overtook him, and he collapsed. Sharp-edged weapons fell upon him, leaving the king to share the same ill-met fate as his advisor. Dying perforated and impaled on gardening tools...


	5. Chapter 5: Lifting Off

_H.V: Wow, three chapters in one night. I'm on a roll. _

~Chapter 5~

Day had not yet broken by the time the mountain pass opened before them. Meta Knight led his still-groggy friends into the pass. Although they were still exhausted, they still showed the determintation to run, and that drive that modivated them flared stronger when they saw how close they were to the Halberd. They would live after all, it seems.

"So, Meta Knight..." Kirby murmured. It was the first time he had spoken since they had started their trek, "You say you've seen the Pestilence ravage towns and people, but...how come you were never afflicted?"

The blue knight was not surprised at the question his apprentice presented him. It seemed to be a bit odd that someone like him, who claimed to have made contact with persons sick with the Pestilence, had and still has no trace of the disease. And yet, he wasn't sure himself. He had never confided this immunity to others, so he was left with the "just lucky" theory. He shrugged in reply, "It is an upredictable virus, as I said before." he replied. Kirby yawned, too tired to press.

Cold winds were nagging the group as they weaved through the twisting mountains. Fumu was hugging her own body in an effort to shield out the cold. Kirby saw her shiver, and moved next to her to share his warmth with her. She smiled gratefully, and Kirby felt relieved. It had been barely a day since her fourteen-year-old brother's death, and yet she showed signs of recovery. But the nearly intangible glint in her eyes betrayed her inner hunted feeling. Hunted by an unseen enemy that attacks you from the inside. An enemy you cannot fight with any kind of weapon...

"Much farther?" Asked Kirby after nearly a half hour of these meandering mountain trails. The chill winds had finally dropped, leaving the color and warmth to seep back into the teens' faces.

"Beyond those spires." The knight replied, waving in the direction of a row of high-standing pillars of stone, just ahead of the trail.

Why were they blurring?

...Just the darkening atmosphere...

Meta Knight led the children behind the spires, to where another mountain rose. But the base had a cave-like indent in it, and as they neared, Kirby caught a flash of a silver radiance sparking from the shaded area.

They crossed a long, barren stretch of stone before they reached it, and by now, the glorious battleship was fully visible, looming over the outcasts like the dawn sun. Beautiful, hopeful, and welcoming. Meta Knight extended his wings and flew directly toward the ship, fitting into a small opening near the cockpit room near the ship's bow. In a moment, a door detatched from the ship and lowered, granting passage to the teens. Kirby found his paw suddenly grabbing Fumu's, and they ascended the stairway inside.

Fumu smiled as familiar memories came back. She remembered the interior from the time she, Kirby, and Bun had flown off to rescue Meta Knight from an ambitious, foreign girl. Her heart siezed in pain when she remembered Bun, playing about the ship's interior as Kirby piloted through space. She felt a tear come to her eye, and turned her head away from the others before they could see it.

She had survived, she was going to be strong now. Bun would want her to be strong...he would want her to stop crying and move on...be there for the ones in her life who lived on still, and needed her aid. She would give her life to help her friends.

Kirby was examining the dashboard, recalling all of the controls he had used during the time he piloted the ship, while Meta Knight ran a routine on the ship's controls, engines, and such before he started it. Fumu took a seat near the back of the room.

Before long, she heard the deep humming sound of the engine perking to life, and felt the vibrating of the engines as they prepared to power the mighty battleship through the skies. She sighed, her eyes beginning to close from weariness.

Meta Knight's paws gripped the steering wheel of the ship, and saw the rocky landscape shift in the windshield before him. He saw the pillars pass by, seeing their points shrink into specks as he rose the ship up the altitudes.

There were a series of strong bumps issued to the ship as it broke the atmosphere. Kirby remembered how he urged the ship through the atmosphere's layers, all those years ago. He looked out one of the windows and saw the plates of the ship grow red-hot, and almost immeadiately cool down in an instant. Fumu, eyes half open with exhaustion, looked at him with a weak smile, "We made it, Kirby." she murmured, and yawned. Kirby echoed her yawn, and Fumu giggled softly.

Meta Knight paced toward them, "There are some rooms down the hallway. You two deserve a long sleep." he commented. Fumu sniffed and nodded in agreement, another yawn drowning the words she was about to say. Kirby nodded as well, and led Fumu down the hallways.

...

Hours ticked by, hours of complete silence.

Meta Knight tried to focus on the map of the solar system as his ship idled through the void of space. He found himself yawning as well, since he had neglected his urge to sleep, for fear for the two young ones he sported. But now, that they were safe inside the Halberd, neither showing any symtoms, he could possibly rest easy. At first, the knight argued against his descision to sleep, and wanted to continue piloting the ship toward a far enough planet.

For a few more hours, he stayed up, pulling open drawers and examining different celestial maps and galaxies, searching for a suitible refuge for a veteran Star Warrior and two kids. At last, he spotted a reasonable destination: a planet called Gemstar. The written description the map bore claimed that this mountainous planet consisted of the galaxy's head mining corporation and head of the science facility.

Perhaps, if they head for the science facility on Gemstar, they could meet some scientists who could help unravel the mystery of the Pestilence.

Meta Knight yawned again, suddenly feeling strangely heavy. He blinked a few times, trying to banish the doze that begged for his conscious. And yet it felt more than just exhaustion that was dragging him down..._Nonsense. It is merely fatigue. It will be satisfied as soon as I can pilot this ship within a five lightyear radius of Gemstar...then...I can..._

The thought was never finished.

...

Kirby was alone, in the pitch darkness like the night he had been sleeping in before. This time, not a single glisten or shimmer of light pierced the inky blackness, and Kirby thought he could hear his own heart beating in a growing fear.

Part of him knew this was a dream, and he wished he wasn't dreaming. Hadn't enough dreams ruined his life already? What did his sub-conscious have to warn him about now?

But he just sat there, for quite a while, in the darkness.

...

...

"Well, this is boring." Kirby broke the silence with his own voice, and as if in reaction, the room sparked light. It was so sudden, it stung Kirby's eyes, and made him recoil from the unknown light source. Once he had accostomed himself to the new lighting, he blinked focus into his eyes a few times and stood up. The room was lit up, all right, but the light was tinted red.

And yet, it wasn't blood red...it was familiar, something that drew Kirby in through curiousity...he was approaching the item he had seen in his dreams before, in his possession.

Andromeda.

There it was, the blade stuck in a boulder from the ground. The pale ruby blade shone like a minature sun, and the rose-red hilt was studded with rows of red crystals and gems. Kirby reached toward it, but just as he touchd the hilt, the dream blacked out...

Kirby opened his eyes to the see the ceiling of his room. He pushed himself up, yawning, and immeadiately recalled the dream he had seen.

There, he had almost touched Andromeda, the counterpart of Galaxia. But the dream had stopped, for some reason. What could have woken him from such a deep slumber?

Kirby decided he wanted to confide his new dream in his mentor, and wandered outside into the hallway. Kirby felt the ship was moving slowly, steadily. It was in idle, most likely. Meta Knight would only let the ship idle if he were sleeping, or couldn't handle the controls at the moment.

The pink warrior wondered if he should wait until his mentor awoke, if he was asleep, and decided it would be the best idea. He rounded the corner, heading for the cockpit to check if the blue knight really was actually still driving. He pushed the door open, and fresh, cold alarm swept over him like a sturdy tide.

He saw Meta Knight, laying on the floor near the ship's wheel. He didn't appear to be moving. At first, Kirby thought he had passed out from exhaustion and exertion.

Until he caught the scent of blood.


	6. Chapter 6: Urgency

~Chapter 6~

"Oh shit..." Kirby let the word slip, glad Fumu wasn't awake to hear him curse. The random feeling dissloved as the pink puff dashed forward, nearly tripping on his own feet in his haste to reach his mentor near the wheel.

"Meta Knight!" he whispered, and grabbed the knight's arm, turning him onto his back. The physical contact gave Kirby a shock, for he felt a startling sear of heat from his friend's skin. That alone would have explained the situation, but Kirby proceeded to detatch Meta Knight's mask, and pulled it from his face.

Kirby saw a thin trail of blood at the corner of the blue knight's mouth, and heard his coarse, painful breathing. His body, now appearing small, was constantly shivering. "Oh god..." Kirby muttered, feeling a rise of panic in him, "Oh no. No, no, no, damnit no! Shit, shit, shiiit...what do I do?" he cried despairingly, and began to feel his own body tremble in fear. _Need to tell Fumu._ He thought, and sprinted down the halls as if he were running across hot wire.

"Fumu! Fumufumufumu! Wake up, god WAKE UP!" Kirby cried as his tiny pink fists beat the door to Fumu's room. His voice was pitching in agitation, and with each second ticking by, he was sure he would fall to pieces in panic. Finally, the door gave before him, heralding the appearance of his blonde friend. She yawned, looking ruffled as she greeted Kirby sleepily. Her hair, which she had always kept in a neat ponytail, was down and tufted, hanging like a ragged sheet across one eye. Faint, black rings tinged her eye area, indicating her need for sleep,

"What is it Kirby? It's...late. I think." she said, rubbing an eye groggily. Kirby launched into the problem-at-hand with no preamble,

"Meta Knight's dying!" he cried with such emotion and force, Fumu staggered backward a few paces.

"_WHAT?" _She shrieked, and before Kirby could confirm his exaggerated claim, she was down the hallway in a heartbeat. She dashed into the hall, stumbling with fatigue, and gazed with eyes full of horror as she took in the sight before her.

"Wha...wha...?" she choked out, and Kirby came up behind her,

"I don't know. I came out here to talk to him, and I found him on the floor..." He stared at his friend, "Could it be the Pestilence?"

"Very likely..." Fumu breathed, and Kirby could see the effort she was taking to calm her frayed nerves, "We need to move him into bed." She said, and Kirby nodded.

The two teenagers came up to the knight, and carefully lifted him from the floor. Kirby saw Fumu's terrified reaction to his tempature as she touched him, but didn't falter as they carried the ailing knight to the nearest dorm.

...

Meta Knight opened his eyes, but the vision was too unfocused and fuzzy to make out anything. Another shiver claimed his form, and he shut his eyes again in discomfort. It felt stuffy and boiling in the room, and every movement was starting to hurt. He blinked open his eyes again, and saw a blurry, pink cloud looming over him. It was saying something, he only heard smothered gibberish. He groaned, but that also hurt. He shut his eyes again, willing sleep to come.

...

"What do we do?" Kirby muttered for the second time. He and Fumu had jumped when the blue puffball's eyes blinked open. Kirby had attepted talking to his mentor, but got no response.

Fumu was in tears, she was gritting her teeth as if to hold back the tears, and she looked completely frazzled from so much trauma in so little time, "I-I don't know..." she stammered, "The Pestilence has n-no cure...Meta Knight said they always d-died..." A whimper escaped her, and she pushed a hand into her face, catching the flow of tears that streamed from her green eyes.

Kirby sighed, and stared at his mentor. It seemed so unfair, that once they escaped Popstar seemingly unscathed, the knight should be struck down before knowing his friends found safety. Perhaps the virus would spread to them as well...

_Stop thinking like this! _Kirby screamed at himself, _gutless idiot. Think more often, will you! There's still a chance...yes, there _is _a chance. _Kirby would keep telling himself this. As he compared Meta Knight's condition to that of the Cappies he seemed not too badly affected. For now. He decided to bring this to Fumu's attention,

"Fumu. Remember the Cappies? Meta Knight's not as bad as them." _For now._ He grimly thought, and winced. So much for his hope.

But Fumu saw the sense in his words, and nodded, still looking shaken, "Y-yeah...I suppose...so we can still do something?"

"Probably." Kirby agreed, optimism growing, "If we can keep most of the side effects at bay, he should hold out until we can find help."

_But who in the right mind would be willing to help someone who could kill you just by being near?_

_Shut up. _Kirby told himself.

...

Fumu had been left tending to his mentor, while Kirby studied the array of maps and legends Meta Knight had pulled out shortly before his collapse. He looked them over, and cursed his short attention span. Why, why didn't he pay more attention to his studies of the galaxies those months ago? He sighed, feeling desperation prick him like a bothersome thorn.

For now, he settled his attention on the only information he could go on. He read the descriptions written near the miscellanious planets listed on the scrolls and parchments. _Blah blah blah marine world, blah blah blah volcanic island, blah blah blah, Leaning Tower, pizza, deserts, swamplands, not interested, not interested, not interested... _

And then his eye caught a name: _Gemstar._ How could his scouring session missed it?

He read the words scrawled by the red-tinted planet:

_Gemstar_

_A stony, peaceful haven of efficency._

_This planet is home to the galaxy's tallest mountain and longest mountain range. _

_It also contains the second-widest river in the galaxy, River Xeno..._

Kirby scowled. If he had read similar, useless information, he had read it a million times. Just as he was about to give up early on this excursion of planet info, a series of words caught his eye again. _...head science facility..._

Frantic, the pink puff pinpointed that section and delved into the text intently,

_This planet is also the head of scientific research in the quadrant, housing the galaxy's largest labratory, Texico Labs._

_Most funding had been speant to support the scientific reseach in the areas of biology, physics, medicine, and geology..._

Medicine! Kirby seemed to deflate in relief. A professional hospital, where hopefully, they could help them. Kirby sighed, and crossed his nonexistant fingers, hoping this wasn't just all talk.

Then he rushed down to hall to break the news to Fumu.


	7. Chapter 7: My Immortal

_Hailfire Vulpes: I do not own the lyrics contained in this chapter._

~Chapter 7~

"Fumu, we're going to Gemstar."

That was all Kirby had to say, and Fumu was on board with him immeadiately.

"So, you're going to drive, I presume?" Fumu inquired, and Kirby nodded,

"At least I'll do a better job at it now then when I was three." he joked weakly. Fumu patted his head,

"You were a pretty good driver back then. Okay, what do you want me to do?" she asked, her swayed nerves sturdying. Kirby found himself impressed,

"Stay back here with Meta Knight. Keep the fever down, uh...and don't panic." Kirby replied, hiding his uncertainy. Fumu nodded confidently, looking stronger than he felt,

"Don't worry, Kirby." she said, and Kirby found strength in her heightened attitude.

...

If Kirby had hair, he would be pulling it out.

Navigating was hard!

He growled at the map, poking the paper as if he could punish it for confusing him. _Confound it. These directions make absolutely no sense._

'_Cause you insisted a 'great Star Warrior' like yourself, didn't need to study this crap._

_Oh shut up! I'm at least trying!_

_You've the directional sense of a rock. A small one. But dense._

_Shut. The. Hell. Up._

_No pressure, but you're on a time table._

_Get the hell out of my head!_

_I'm your conscious. I'm stuck to you like a nagging housewife._

You're only stressed when you find yourself having a quarrel with your own conscious. Kirby decided to abandon his little in-hed fight, and, to the best of his abilities, pilot this ship to the destination.

...

Fumu gently laid the icy damp towel over Meta Knight's forehead, hoping it would lessen the frightening, incalecent fever that ailed the knight. She occasionally tried to talk to him, but in his state of disoreintation, he failed to recognize a friend in the hazy face he saw.

Fumu sighed mournfully, and laid her hand gently over her friend's paw, "Please, be okay...be okay..." she muttered, and flinched as a harsh cough ripped the air. She reached for an extra towel, wiping the newly spilled blood off the knight's face. She cringed inwardly at the side of blood, remembering Bun with a jolt. She recalled, with a heart-wrenching pain, the look of young boy innocence on his face when she had found him standing still and absently in the courtyard, the previous day. He seemed so fine, so safe, so completely nochalant to the danger that had entered him, and taken his life in minutes. Mere bloody minutes...

_I'm so tired of being here  
>Suppressed by all my childish fears<br>And if you have to leave  
>I wish that you would just leave<br>Your presence still lingers here  
>And it won't leave me alone<em>

Fumu was surprised as the lyrics weaved their way into her brain. It was a song she had heard once, and teared up to, for it had sounded so mournful. She couldn't quite recall the song name, but felt sadder, yet peaceful as the song made its way into her mind.

_These wounds won't seem to heal  
>This pain is just too real<br>There's just too much that time cannot erase_

_When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears_  
><em>When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears<em>  
><em>And I held your hand through all of these years<em>  
><em>But you still have<em>  
><em>All of me<em>

_You used to captivate me_  
><em>By your resonating light<em>  
><em>Now I'm bound by the life you left behind<em>  
><em>Your face it haunts<em>  
><em>My once pleasant dreams<em>  
><em>Your voice it chased away<em>  
><em>All the sanity in me<em>

_These wounds won't seem to heal_  
><em>This pain is just too real<em>  
><em>There's just too much that time cannot erase<em>

_I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone_  
><em>But though you're still with me<em>  
><em>I've been alone all along<em>

"That's...a beautiful song.."

Fumu nearly jumped in the air. She looked at Meta Knight, the only one in the room besides her, who could have known. His ghostly-white eyes were half-open, dulled and grayed a bit. He looked small in the bed, beads of sweat rolling down his face, and dried streaks of blood around the corners of his mouth. Fumu blinked, "How...?"

"You were singing out loud." Meta Knight explained in a feeble voice, "I've heard that...song before...My Immortal..." he sighed, and seemed to shrink into the bedding.

"It's a such a sad, yet beautiful song, isn't it?" Fumu murmured, sitting on the edge of the bed. Meta Knight did not answer verbally, but nodded.

The knight's eyes were closing, but he spoke again, "I don't know how many times...I lived those lyrics..." Fumu blinked, surprised. But since he was, after all, a war veteran, he probably had witnessed the deaths of many comrades and friends. But the way he spoke that...it sounded as if there was a deeper meaning. Before Fumu could press into the topic, a sudden convulsion overwhelmed the blue puffball, all the while tormenting him with a painful, bloody coughing spell.

Fumu shuddered, dismayed, and quickly wiped the blood away when the attack had died down. No sooner had she finished when Meta Knight's paw grabbed her wrist tightly, with surprising agility reguarding his condition. Fumu stared at him in shock, and Meta Knight locked his fever-glazed eyes with her green irises,

"It is the Pestilence, Fumu..." he rasped, flinching as chills crept over his form, "It's...not safe for you and Kirby...for me to be...here..."

"Do't say that," Fumu said, feeling his grip loosen on her arm. She pulled away, still looking startled, "You'll be fine. You're strong, you're brave...we'll be okay too...I promise...don't give up, Meta Knight." she murmured desperately, taking the towel from his head to re-wet it in ice water.

But the blue knight shook his head, "I am a threat...to you...you're vulnerable...to the disease...I don't want you to die..." he murmured, and shut his eyes as if they hurt. Fumu placed the refreshed cloth back on his searingly hot face,

"No, Kirby's driving us to Gemstar. He'll get us there, and then the scientists there will help you...just think positive..." she urged. She blinked when she saw a tear appear in one of his eyes, slowly rolling down his face. She saw him raise a paw, gesturing falteringly toward the door,

"T-take my sword..." he breathed. Fumu shook her head, although she knew the knight didn't see,

"No, stop thinking like that." she insisted firmly, "You're going to be..."

"Take my sword..." Meta Knight repeated, "Bring it here, and end my suffering...I beg of you...for both our sakes..."

Fumu gasped, shaking her head even more violently, "No! We can all make it until we reach Gemstar! Have faith in Kirby, he's going as fast as we can, and trying his best..." When Meta Knight didn't respond, she broke down, "I won't let you die! Not by this disease, or by suicide! We haven't come all this way just for you to die! You'll be okay...you'll be okay because you know we can't do this without you!" she sobbed.

"You don't need me..." Meta Knight whispered, "You are Kirby are a formittable pairing...you can survive if you...be rid...of the threat..." He opened his eyes, just a little, "Please, Fumu...for both our sakes...I won't let you die...because of me..."

"No!" It came out as a screeching sob, "If you are so conviced you have nothing left to live for..." she hesitated, tears soaking her face, "I'll give you a reason to live!"

She leaned forward, and landed a kiss on the knight's blood-streaked lips.


	8. Chapter 8: Twin Crushes

~Chapter 8~

When the kiss ended, both Fumu and Meta Knight stared at each other, unable to speak or move for a while. Finally, Fumu made the first action, and dashed out of the room. The swordsman stared after her, and shut his eyes without another word.

...

"Fumu, is everything okay?" Kirby inquired his friend, concern immeadiately cropped up when he saw her sprint in from his mentor's room. Fumu looked at him, and hoped she didn't have a huge blush stretched across her face. Luckily, Kirby gave no sign he saw one. Realizing she must have alarmed Kirby with her hastened appearance, she sought to console him,

"Don't worry. He's...alseep." she said, and recovered her poise, though her mind was still in a blank.

Kirby tipped his head in questioning, "You sure? Why did you come running.."

"So how much farther?" Fumu interrupted, not wanting to share the moment she had with the knight. Part of her was kicking herself for not using her mind in that situation. Meta Knight was asking Fumu to kill him, and she retaliated with a romantic embrace.

Most people wouldn't do that.

Another part of her was bristling with alarm. She had made contact, close contact, with someone infected with the Pestilence. She was sure the disease had already spread into her, despite the kiss being short. Fumu shivered inwardly, wondering how much time she had left before the sickness would cause her to self-destruct.

And a very small part of her really, really enjoyed the kiss.

And she kicked herself for that too.

"Uh...not far. Not far at all..." Kirby's reply jolted her from her thoughts, "We're...in radius, I think, of Gemstar...or something."

"Or something?" Fumu questioned, an edge on her tone. She was beginning to wonder if her pink friend had somehow gotten them lost. He was so much better at this when he was a toddler! But then again, he did have the tracking device that led to his enemy's ship, that time...

"Yeah..." Kirby said, "We're...mostly on track. I mean, I can steer us so we're fully on track but...you shouldn't worry. No, not while I'm behind the wheel!"

Fumu became worried, which is probably what you'd expect when someone says something like that, "Okay. What are our bearings?" Fumu asked, though she didn't like putting her friend through her persistant questions. She just had to know.

Kirby seemed to squint into the void of space in the windshield, "We're um..." He looked down at the ship's compass, "Second star to the left, straight on 'till morning..." he replied.

Fumu winced, "You're lost, aren't you?" she muttered.

Kirby faked a smile, "Course not! I know exactly where we are!"

Silence.

Kirby sighed, "We're a floating mausoleum."

Fumu felt sunken. She hated this. Why did Popstar have to be infected so quickly, so brutally?Why in _her_ lifetime? Why should she be running like a fugitive, living with the cold, bitter knowledge that her brother was dead, as well as her friends, save for Kirby and at the moment Meta Knight. Why did this have to happen? Why _her?_

Fumu drew a breath, realizing it was shaky with incoming tears, "Meta Knight spoke to me." she admitted, and Kirby was immeadiately listening. His blue eyes were riveted on her, willing her hungrily to say more.

"He...heard me singing." she said, wanting to buy time before she got to the part when Meta Knight asked for his life to be taken.

"What, you singing?" Kirby scoffed, "Singing what, pray tell?"

Fumu shrugged, "It was better than 'Never Say Never,' I'll tell you." she replied. Kirby laughed at her remark,

"And then?" he prompted, when his laughing fit died down. Fumu sighed,

"He was upset...that this happened. He...thinks he's threatening us..." she said softly. She looked up, and pointed to Galaxia, which was leaning against the far wall, where Kirby had put it when they had carried the swordsman to his room, "He...asked for Galaxia...he wanted me to..." She choked, unable to say more, and simply gestured what wordlessly, by dragging a finger across her throat. Kirby's eyes widened,

"He did not..." he stammered, looking even more stressed than he already was. Fumu nodded sadly, and before she knew it, blurted out the rest of the story,

"I refused, over and over...finally..I decided to...I...gave him a reason to keep living..." she paused, tears spilling down her face, "_I kissed him._" she whispered.

Kirby was silent for a while, his eyes unfocused and staring dazed at the ground. Fumu inhaled shakily, waiting for his reaction,

"So...how was it...?" he voice was strangely dull, flat, as if he was truely shocked, "The embrace...I mean."

Fumu shrugged, wondering why this conversation was going from somber to almost casual, "Just a short kiss." she said, "I doubt...that...it was a good reason." she murmured. Kirby stared at her,

"What reason? Why a kiss?" he asked, although he already knew the answer,

"If he loves me..." Fumu whispered, "He won't want to die...I thought..."

Kirby shut his eyes for a long time, and sighed, "I know...everyone who loves you would never want to die and leave you..." he said, and turned back to the wheel without another word.

Fumu sighed, wondering if she did the right thing. She had taken some of his ailment, his disease, and had put her own person at risk. So far, she felt nothing unsual, save for the strange emotions in her and the dazed feeling usually known after such an embrace. She wondered when her time would come, and felt more tears drain from her eyes.

_Everyone who loves you would never want to die and leave you..._

What had Kirby meant by that? Was there someone in love with her? She looked at Kirby, who was somberly navigating them through the skies. His desperation could almost be felt in the air.

Fumu stared at Kirby for a long time, and realized what he meant. She cursed herself for being so blind all these years...

_Hailfire Vulpes: Argh...not a very exciting chapter. Mostly talk about the fluff encounter, and crap...I'll make the next chapter more exciting, I promise!_


	9. Chapter 9: Detour

~Chapter 9~

Hours had passed, and Fumu had lost all sense of time. She was so confused and felt conflicted by emotions she couldn't explain, she simply made herself sleep. God knows she needed it.

Fumu lay in bed, darkness all around. She sighed for the hundreth time that night, letting herself slip in and out of consciousness. Her heart was in shreds.

Her world was, or had, fallen apart.

Her kin was dead, in a pool of their own blood.

She may have just broken the heart of someone she cared deeply about, in order to save the life of another she cared for. What else could there be to make her suffer worse?

These faults were haunting the poor girl, making her much-needed sleep restless and a constant tempest of hurt and saddness.

A day had probably passed since Meta Knight had fallen ill. Fumu sighed. Two days of fitful sleep and no food. She would have noticed her hunger, if she wasn't so tight with apprehension and worry.

_Screw this._ She thought, and threw the blankets off of her. She badly needed rest, but obviously she wasn't going to get it. She paced into the hallway, nearing the pilot's room. Before she entered the room, she realized, with a jolt, the ship was not moving. The metal floor beneath her feet was not vibrating with the energy of the ship's engines. Had Kirby located and landed in Gemstar at last?

Fumu rushed out, only to have her hopes plummet. Kirby had a look of genuine confusion and frustration written across his face, and he emphasized his mood by banging his head repeatadly against the wheel. Fumu stepped inside, blinking in concern.

"Where are the mountains...?" groaned Kirby, beating a small pink fist against the wheel, "There's no freaking moutains...! What happened to the mountains...?"

"Kirby?" Fumu murmured, and he gave her a sideways glance,

"Good whatever-time-of-day-it-is, Fumu. I'd be able to tell, but there's so much freaking shade and darkness..." Kirby muttered.

Fumu peered through the windshield, and recognized a dark landscape. She made out dark-leaved trees through the shadows, and thought she heard the sound of a bird call.

"Definately not a mountainous place." Fumu confirmed grimly, and paced up next to Kirby.

"So I'm not insane. We're really lost..." he grumbled, throwing a vicious punch at the wheel, only succeeding in hurting his paw. He shook it painfully, rubbing the fist tenderly, "So if this isn't Gemstar, where the hell are we?" he muttered, and Fumu directed her attention to one of the maps that lay across the dashboard,

"Let's see...we weren't traveling long so we should still be within the galaxy...okay, planet of thick vegetation...big trees...jungle-ish..." she murmured, searching over the planet sketches and their information.

"Aha!" Kirby cried, and thumped his paw on the paper, over a large, dark looking planet, surrounded by a thin ring, "There we are! This place, Aurastar, says, 'Large, forest planet.'"

"You sure?" asked Fumu, and scanned over the other planets to make sure none had similar descriptions.

"Damn huge trees...all over the freaking planet! Hell, I'd say so." Kirby muttered, and Fumu glanced at him,

"You're tired Kirby. You're starting to curse like a truck driver." she commented. Kirby waved at her dismissively,

"Well, no duh! It's been two damn days and barely any freaking time to recover ourselves. If this goes on much longer, we'll have a lot more to worry about besides our bad language." Kirby said, and Fumu dropped the subject.

"Well, this isn't the place. Why don't we leave then?" Fumu asked, and Kirby sweatdropped nervously,

"Yeah...it's just that...we took a meteorite through one of the wings..." The young warrior confessed. Fumu cringed slightly in frustration,

"The ship can't fly, then?" Fumu pressed, and Kirby nodded,

"I thought it'd be okay, but the flight started to get kinda jerky, and I thought we should land...from above I thought this was Gemstar." Kirby said, "Plus, we're out of food. How long can we go on before we starve or something?"

Fumu admitted he had a point, but the impromptu landing was a serious detour, and would consume precious time needed to get the ailing Meta Knight to medical care. And yet, not stopping could risk them even greater. They would need the rescources.

"Okay, fine. How close is Aurastar to Gemstar?" she asked, but Kirby grimly shrugged. Fumu sighed, "Alright, but...how can we do this? It doesn't look safe to strike out for the nearest village alone, and I don't want to leave Meta Knight here alone..."

"It shouldn't be a problem. The guy's too badass to die like this." Kirby said, and Fumu glared at his curse word usage, yet she was relieved that the pink puff was growing a strong confidence for his mentor's survival.

"But still..." Fumu said, shaking her head in despair, trying to reach a consensus, "He might need something while we're gone..."

"I'm not helpless, you know." Came a voice that nearly sent Fumu jumping out of her skin. She and Kirby whipped around to see the familiar blue puffball, maskless still, in the room with them. Although his voice sounded stronger than it did, Fumu saw that he was leaning against the wall for support, as if he were not quite sure he could stay up for long. His face still looked flushed, and his skin and eyes dull, but yet he seemed more alive than he had been since they first discovered his sickness.

Kirby raised a nonexistant eyebrow, "You're up?" he asked. His mentor nodded solemnly,

"You need not worry for my sake." he said, and Fumu dreaded that he wa about to bring up his confessions of 'being a threat to them' again. She glanced inconspicuously at Galaxia, still a distance away, and wondered if she would have to intercept him from getting to it, if he did make a move to get it. Fumu would not allow the knight to kill himself because he thought his apprentice and she were susceptiple to the plague.

"But..." Fumu began, but the swordsman cut her off,

"I'll be coming with you." he said strongly.

Kirby shook his head, "No...no, no, no, nononono. Whatever's out there...you're not strong enough to handle it, if there's a threat."

The knight's eye twitched in annoyance, "I am not asking to come. I am telling you I am coming. I assure you this is something I can manage."

Fumu blinked, "But it's been two days. I highly doubt you should be walking around now." she persisted. Although, she had noticed for the past several hours that Meta Knight had not had another coughing spell, although he was still pretty hot and weakened.

Meta Knight narrowed his eyes into a ghost-white glare, "I am coming, and you cannot convince me otherwise. I assure you everything will be fine." he said forcefully. Fumu heaved a gusty sigh. The warrior was being strangely persistant, though he should know for his own well-being that he shouldn't be up and about. Privately, the blonde teen wondered what was compelling the blue puffball to follow them, knowing his health would be risked by exerting the little precious energy he needed to recover. Fumu wondered if something was involved here that was beyond her understanding...

It was usually always true.

_H.V: Okay, I meant to make this more exciting, but they haven't even left yet...okay, next chapter, things will definately be more exciting._

_Credit to Lunara the ara for the planet name Aurastar._


	10. Chapter 10: Hybrids and KnockKnock Jokes

~Chapter 10~

_Why did we ever agree to this...?_

Since the blue knight had been oddly stubborn at being left behind at the ship, Fumu and Kirby had no choice but to give, or be stuck in the argument for all eternity.

And, quite frankly, spending the rest of your life arguing sounds rather boring, doesn't it?

So the traid ventured cautiously from the Halberd. Both Kirby and Fumu stuck to Meta Knight's side, in case he needed aid. But the swordsman barely took notice of their prescense, and walked along with a cautious grip on Galaxia's hilt. Fumu was surprised to see how well he was managing. The knight's amber eyes were constantly shifting back and forth, catalouging every movement around them.

All around them, huge, dark trees soared to the skies, looming over them and plunging the ground world into perpetual shadow. It reminded them grimly of Cappy Town's new state, but at least this place seemed a bit more alive and less bloody.

"So...nothingness, darkness, and oh, trees." Kirby muttered dully, looking around in the shade. Fumu could only make out his pink outline. Meta Knight, next to her, was even less visible, being darking in color than Kirby, and the only thing that gave his appearance away was the skimpy sunlight reflecting off his mask.

They kept walking, and all along the way, Kirby kept peppering the air with his bored, pointless quips about nothing in paticular. Not to mention his nonstop jokes. Don't even ask why he thought _those_ were appreciated, given the situation.

"Knock, knock."

Silence.

"Knock, knock!"

Fumu tried to block it out, but the pink puffball had popped up right next to her,

"Knoooock, knooooock...!"

Sighing loudly, she replied, "Who's there?" _Dare I ask..._

"Knock, knock!" he chirped, as if he hadn't heard her.

"I said, who's there?" Fumu growled, irritation sparking in her.

"Knock, knock!"

"Who. Is. There?" Fumu sighed, her annoyance showing profusely. She thought she heard Meta Knight chuckling from beside her.

"...Knock...knock...!"

Fumu looked at Kirby, and wondered how much effort it would take to chuck the irritating puffball into that bramble bush over there... "Kirby, I will squeeze you like a little, pink melon if you don't tell me who's there." she threatened light-heartedly, though still annoyed.

"Orange." Kirby poked her in the arm.

"Orange who, pray tell?" Fumu sighed, although she knew the joke already.

"Orange you glad I didn't say 'knock, knock' again?" Kirby snickered.

"Very." His mentor replied curtly. A brief scream was all that came out of Fumu.

Startled, Kirby and Meta Knight looked to Fumu, who was no longer in the place she was standing a moment ago. For a frantic second, they looked around for the missing girl, only to hear her call another second later, "Up here!"

There was Fumu, dangling by her feet, both of which were bound together by a rope. She hung upside down, her blonde hair pointing toward the ground in a blonde sheet. She wore the expression of someone who just had their eye stabbed with a spork, or foon, in a Wal-Mart.

No, not pain. Just extremely pissed. You'd be pissed too if someone called your spork a foon and stabbed you with it. In Wal-Mart.

Kirby and Meta Knight looked up, and Kirby called, "Hey, my jokes aren't _that_ bad!" Fumu shook her fist at him in irritation, and the movement caused her tether to swing slightly. Meta Knight examined the rope that tied her and had hoisted her up above them,

"It looks like some sort of trap. But who...?" He never finished, for suddenly a leather mesh shot out from a large shrub, encasing the blue knight and his apprentice inside. While they struggled inside the net, a loud, warbling-like sound called.

Shadows passed over the dots of light speckling the ground, and with each passing second, more warbling and miscellanious bird sounds were heard.

Meta Knight withdrew Galaxia, and sheared the blade through the leather like a hot knife through butter. The puffballs lept free, only for assailants to drop from the sky and encircle them. Kirby stared at the natives, their features attracting his eye.

They were short, he assumed, for they looked scarcely taller than Fumu. Their feet were talons, long and hooked, supporting a compact body, feathery with down and fur. Their heads and faces were neatly shaped, round, and a few had large, feathery-furry ruffs around their necks. Some had hair on their heads, which was longer than shoulder-length, and Kirby assumed these to be females. The hair was decorated, he saw, with ribbons and beads, and some strands were braides or made into small pony tails. They all had tall, bat-like ears and a long tail, spiked with stiff, boldly-colored feathers. They had arms, with paws that had deadly claws equipped to them, and long, colorful wings that stretched from their backs. Their muzzles were pointed, like a wolf's, and upon close examination, Kirby could see they carried something in their mouths, though he could not tell what it was.

He and Meta Knight stood back-to-back, his mentor holding the sacred sword threateningly, prepared to strike if one of these bird-wolf hybrid things tried to act agressively.

For a while, no one moved, and Meta Knight hoped Kirby wouldn't blurt some random quirp about them, for he saw some were armed with simple-looking weapons, as well as their claws.

Finally, one broke rank, and the two puffballs whirled to face it cautiously. It must have been male, Kirby thought, since it lacked shoulder-length hair like some of the others. This one had a large scar stretching across his muzzle, and over one eye. His wings were the largest of any of the creatures here, and his tail had more feathers sticking up from it. Kirby assumed this must be some sort of leader, and measured him up. He tensed, in case this thing would show any signs of a threat. But he merely looked them over with his green eyes, as if there was nothing strange about two puffball visitors to his planet.

Then he spoke, "Who is you?"

Kirby blinked, "Don't you mean, 'who are you'?" he corrected.

The creature suddenly stood rigid, and fluffed out his feathers, "I is Brazeen, chief warrior. Why you ask, strangers? Who is you?" Kirby realized he was responding to the words, "who are you?" that Kirby had used when he had corrected his grammar,

"I'm a grammar Nazi, and I really think..."

But the creature named Brazeen stopped listening to him, and was staring intently at Meta Knight, "Is Nazi's friend?" He asked. Kirby shook his head,

"My name's not Nazi, it's Kirby." he said, "And yes, Meta Knight is a friend."

"Nazi-Kirby and Meta Knight know girl?" Brazeen asked, pointing a hooked claw at Fumu, whose face was starting to turn red from hanging upside down for some time. Kirby briefly wondered why the other five creatures still surrounding him weren't doing anything.

"Yes," Kirby answered, "That's Fumu. Can you, uh, get her down?" Kirby asked, hesitantly. But Brazeen was still staring at Meta Knight,

"Friend not healthy." he commented. And Kirby nodded,

"No, he's not. Can you get Fumu down?" he asked again. Brazeen, now responding, motioned to one of the creatures toward where Fumu was dangling. The warrior, with a startling agility, shot through the air and within a heartbeat, the rope was snapped by her claws. Fumu fell nearly ten feet and face-planted in the earth. She looked at the creature who had cut her down, wearing the expression of someone who was shanked by a spork/foon at a Wal-Mart, while wearing a mud-mask. Commence 'Lol'.

Brazeen's warriors quickly herded Fumu into the puffball's group, and surrounded them again. This time, another creature spoke, a female,

"You have no cause for alarm, newcomers. I sense you enter here unbidden, but without malice and evil intentions. Therefore I offer my most sincerest apology for this unjust hostility and welcome you as humble visitors to Aurastar." she said formally. Kirby's eye twitched. He had not expected such a sophisticated speech, when he was starting to get used to Brazeen's choppy, grammar-failed dialect.

"My name is Kinara, and we ask of your intentions." the female said calmly. She was looking at Kirby, as if she expected he was the leader of their group. Kirby looked at the surrounding creatures, and said,

"We landed here by accident. We were on our way to Gemstar after our home planet, Popstar was infected with a raging disease. Our ship was damaged andour food supply was depleated. We, uh...that's why." he said, feeling rather awkward in front of the green-feathered female. But before he had finished speaking, a nervous chatter rose up in the group of six, right after he had mentioned Gemstar.

When it quieted, Kinara looked at them, "We have decided to aid you, newcomers. We will allow you to stay for as long as you want." she offered kindly. But Kirby smiled politely and shook his head,

"D-Don't worry about that. We just need a few days to repair the ship, get some food, because, honestly, we are in a bit of a hurry." he confessed, wondering if it was wise to give away their weaknesses to these natives. But somehow, the words came freely, and he found himself directing the words to Kiana, instead of Brazeen, the leader of the group. Perhaps she just seemed to understand, and acted fairly toward them. Maybe a bond of trust was growing.

Kinara looked at him, "Oh? You are in a hurry to go to...Gemstar?" she seemed to have struggled to say the planet's name, for whatever reason. Kirby decided to ignore it,

"Uh, yeah. We need to find the hospital there because..."

"Because your friend has the Pestilence." Finished Kinara, to the trio's surprise. She was looking at Meta Knight as she spoke,

"How did you know?" Fumu asked in mild awe. The bird-wolf hybrid looked at her strangely as well, for some reason,

"We have sharp sensibilities, and scent. We scented sickness in your air, and blood, and identified it as the Pestilence." she answered logically.

"But why help us if you knew that...?" Kirby dared to ask, and instantly regretted it. Would Kinara change her mind about letting them stay now?

But the green-feathered lady shrugged, "It is my nature to be hospitable. And we have healing herbs at our camp." She smiled, "We may be able to heal your friend."

Kirby blinked, "But I thought the disease had no known cure." he said, "How can a bunch of plants..."

"It is not a cure." Kinara said, "It will help lessen the symptoms until he can fight the disease off by himself. It is not very potent, but sometimes it helps." she said,

"But," Fumu said, "How do you know it works? The Pestilence hasn't been around up until a few days ago."

The creatures were silent, and Kinara wore a troubled look, as if she was reluctant to reveal something, "We...are not sure..." she replied, a bit out of character, "Come, we will fly you to our camp." she offered. Meta Knight shook his head, though,

"I can fly myself, thank you." he said, and unleashed his wings. The group suddenly dispersed, running a distance from the knight. Cries of "demon beast!" echoes among them. Fumu and Kirby exchanged glances, nervous that Kinara would take back her services. But the female was the only one who had not moved away. She barely seemed bothered by the knight's wings,

"If you insist. We will help your flight anyway. Can you two fly as well?" she inquired to Fumu and Kirby. Fumu shook her head, and Kirby shrugged,

"I have wings. I can't fly them yet." he said. Kinara gestured to her warriors, who crept in cautiously. She made a series of warbling and chirping sounds, and Kirby saw in her mouth what appeared to be some kind of riverstone, full of holes. Then, a creature came up to him, smiled kindly, and took his paw, elevating into the sky. Behind him, another creature was carrying Fumu into the air. Meta Knight was flying, but his wing beats looked lethargic and weak, and his flight path uneven. Three warriors were flying under him, sending up drafts to support his flight. Kinara flew next to him, tensed to move quickly, if needed.

The creatures carried the trio higher, and higher above the forest, until even the clouds were below them. He saw the wispy vapors, ringing the treetops faintly and drifting slowly through the air. He looked ahead, and found himself being flown toward a great mountain. He saw several huge ridges and dents carved into the mountain face, and dens built into them.

It was a small civilization, that housed the hybrids. This was were they thrived.


	11. Chapter 11: Devastation

_H.V: Credit to Lunara the ara for the name Kinara._

~Chapter 11~

Kirby, Fumu, Meta Knight neared the civilization on the mountain, and yet sensed fear rippling through their flying escorts. Kinara's expression was troubled, then frightened, then suddenly horrified. Kirby then realized he saw no more of these hybrids roaming around the moutain civilization. It was dead silent.

Kinara flew ahead, and Kirby felt his escort pick up speed as she too, caught sight of whatever was troubling the bird-wolves.

When they landed, Kirby saw it too. Feathers, bloodied, burnt, and broken lay strewn all around. Kinara was rushing from den to den, mournful cries sounding from her. Fumu walked up to him, "What's going on?" she asked softly. Kirby saw an azure feather by his foot, and stooped down to pick it up. It was partly singed, and darkened with blood,

"Looks like a massacre, but I don't see any bodies." he said. Meta Knight joined them,

"It appears the village has been attacked, and brutally." he said, and the two teens looked at him in concern. His amber eyes were dimming, and his voice was weakening again.

Kinara was rushing across the stone, surprisingly fast on her talons, her emerald green feathers bristling on her body. Some were flying loose. One of the younger hybrids who had flown with them was crying out, "Why did they do this?"

"Do what?" Fumu asked them softly, but they gave no sign they heard. The six hybrids were grouped around, crying, and seemed to have forgotten completely about the newcomers. Kinara emerged from a den, her feathers ruffled and her pace sluggish. She let out an eerie caterwaul, and sunk to the ground, burying her face in her paws. Quickly, the trio approached her,

"What happened?" Fumu asked her gently. Kinara stared at her with eyes full of misery,

"They've come...they've stolen everything...everyone...they've..." she covered her fave again, as tears began to soak her cheeks. Fumu tried to comfort her by stroking the distressed young hyrbid between the wings, but nothing seemed to lighten her.

"Who?" Kirby asked in a soft voice,

"It...was Texico." Kiana murmured, "They've...been hunting for...so long...And now they've..." She sniffed, and wiped away a tear.

_Texico._ Why did that name seem so familiar? Kirby felt like he should know, yet the memory was reluctant to yield information to him.

Kirby felt Meta Knight shiver behind him, and turned to see the masked puffball struggling to stay upright. He was at his side in a blink. Fumu at his other side, "Kiana, Meta Knight needs help!" she said, hoping that the hybrid would be jolted into action by this.

She was, a little. She stood up slowly and sighed, "The Texico soldiers have raided our store of medicine..." she murmured sadly, "But I have found a few left. This way." she said, and led them into a large den woven out of brambles and twigs.

It was roomy and cool inside, and fresh water pooled in the corner of the room. There were a few mossy pads on the floor, made for laying on, and medical plants stacked along the walls. Fumu and Kirby led Meta Knight, who was barely moving on his own at this point, and carefully took him to one of the beds on the floor. The knight collapsed as soon as his friends let go, but his fall was softened by the moss and down. Kinara looked at him, looking concerned,

"It is getting bad." she said, "But I could take some of the discomfort away." she reached for a few spiky-edged leaves, with dark viens, and approached the knight. Carefully, she removed the mask and convinced him to eat the leaves. Meanwhile, Kirby found himself wandering outside.

One of the smaller hybrids, a young fledgling spotted him and hopped over, "Hi." she said, a bit dully, "You...don't happen to know who Texico is?" she asked. Kirby shook his head, unable to remember much more than the name,

"So, who are you?" he asked casually, and the red-feathered female replied, a bit lighter,

"Mica. Is it true you have wings?" she asked. Kirby shrugged, a bit embarressed at admitting he could not fly them so easily,

"Yeah, but I can't fly."

Mica suddenly grew very excited. She grabbed Kirby by the paw and led him onto a tapering spire that jutted out from the mountain face, pointing outward toward the horizon. Below, the ground seemed hundreds of feet down, and the mere sight of the long fall made Kirby dizzy, "So...why'd you bring me here?" he asked hesitantly. Mica smiled,

"I want to teach you to fly!" she insisted, "My dad showed me, and said that one day, I could teach someone myself." she said in her sweet little-girl voice. Kirby smiled,

"Okay, I guess. Soo...what do we start with?" he asked.

Mica smiled even wider this time, "We start by falling." she said, and gave a ferocious shove to Kirby, sending him tumbling off the spire.

_Hailfire Vulpes: Eh, short chapter, but I'm tired. It's 3:00AM here. I'll write more later. Night!_


	12. Chapter 12: Fly With Me

~Chapter 12~

"What the heeeeeellll?" Kirby yelled as the stone beneath his feet vanished, leaving him to topple down, down, down, accelerating to a dizzying speed toward the jungle floor.

"Yeah, I'd like to have a word with your dad," he muttered, though the fledgling that had pushed him certainly couldn't hear him. The edges of his vision blurred, and the treetops below were turning smudgy.

"Gimme wings! C'mon!" he urged, and with another _fwipping_ sound, unleashed them. The golden hawk wings, measuring about five feet in wingspan, caught the air and slowed his flight noticably, though it had painfully yanked back and upward from the sudden unleashing. Kirby was still falling, but not as fast. His wings were working up and down, making the muscles burn in protest. He tried rotating mid-air, to aim his flight back up to the clifftop. Up, down, up, down, up, down...feathers were coming loose in the process, and the effort labored his breathing, but he urged himself through the air.

"When...I get my paws on...that...little..." he panted, "She's gonna...wish...ah...keep flapping..."

Finally, Kirby grabbed ahold of the stone projection after several minutes of tiresome flapping, sprawled out on it in exhaustion. Both wings lay stretched out and limp at his sides, and his body inflated and deflated with each breath, "Where...is...Mica...?" he asked angrily, toward no one in paticular.

"You okay?" a feminine voice asked. Kirby gritted his teeth, and pushed himself up, coming face-to-face with Fumu,

"S-sure...just fell down a freaking seventy-foot drop, and flew up a seventy-foot height...yeesh." he gasped, and let her help him up. He noticed Fumu was staring at his wings, "What?"

Fumu shrugged, "They're just...beautiful. The wings, I mean." she smiled, "I never imagined you would have hawk wings, though..." she said softly. Kirby grinned, looking at his golden-brown wings, speckled with gray and black, some feathers edged in white.

For a while they didn't say anything. Then Kirby broke the awkward moment, "How's Meta Knight?" he asked.

Fumu smiled, "You've only been gone a few minutes." she said, "But he's okay. Sleeping, at the moment."

Kirby returned her grin, and a sudden longing grew inside, forming a question that formed on his tongue. Although he denied wanting to ask it, it came out anyway, "You want to fly...with me?" he asked quietly.

Inside, he was kicking himself. A premature flier, and he was about to make his horrible flying skills even worse by carrying someone. Fumu echoed his thoughts,

"Are you sure?" she asked catuiously, "You look like you barely know what you're doing." Kirby sank a little inside, and suddenly his paw weaved into Fumu's hand. The blonde girl looked at him and she met her gaze evenly. Not even they were sure what was passing between them, but whatever it was...it felt good.

And before they knew it, there was no stone beneath their feet, but soft, cool air.

At first, Fumu had her eyes squeezed shut, both hands grabbing tightly to Kirby's paw, refusing to stop crushing it in fear. She could hear nothing except the wind blowing by her ears, and the very faint wings beats of Kirby. She felt the air jerk around her a bit, making her tense up and anticipate a fall, and heard Kirby swear a few times in frustration as he struggled to keep them aloft. She shrieked as she felt her and Kirby fall a few feet, "Put me down!" she cried, flailing her feet, "I don't like this! Put me down! Damnit!" She grew panicked as she still felt no reassuring ground beneath her feet.

"For the love of god..." Kirby muttered, "Stop moving!" Fumu hung limp, the only thing holding her was Kirby and the winds. She noticed how still and smooth it felt, and opened her eyes a little. When she saw the treetops the size of small shrubs below, she flinched and squeezed Kirby's paw. She heard Kirby give a small laugh, "It's not so bad. Look, I'm starting to get the hang of it." he said gently. Fumu dared open her eyes again, and saw that they were not flailing wildly in the sky, but gliding along smoothly. Silently. Fumu looked up, and saw Kirby was looking at her, smiling, "Nice view, huh?"

Fumu didn't hear him at first, and after a brief hesitation, replied hastily, "Oh, yes, yes. Very nice..." she sighed, "So peaceful...up hear. It feels like we're higher...than anything. Like...I could do this forever...it just feels so...so..."

"So free?" Kirby offered. Fumu smiled sweetly,

"Yes, so free...like, it feels like all of our troubles, and worries are so far below...and they can't get us up here...We're...safe..." she whispered. Kirby grinned again, and suddenly banked, making Fumu gasp. Although, she relaxed when she didn't feel the air hitch at Kirby's turn. She sighed pleasantly, and heard Kirby yawn, "You tired?" she asked softly. Kirby looked at her and nodded, not willing to pretend he wasn't. They all were tired, and hungry, and still in shock from what has been happening. Sometimes, Fumu wished she could just lie down and wake up to everything being normal again...She would see the sun shining, and the air would feel temperate. Bun would be alive and playing soccer, and Kirby would be playing with him. Meta Knight wouldn't be battling for life...and there would be no bloodshed. Why, once things were just starting to get better after Nightmare's death, did something have to come that would ruin their lives forever?

She realized then, that Kirby was descending. She tensed, in case the puffball would crash-land, but to her surprise, he glided easily toward a tall stone pillar, about half the hieght of the mountain where the hybrids lived. He landed on the surface with a bit of a stumble, but quickly regained himself. He sat down, and Fumu sat beside him. She found her body growing heavy with weariness, and suddenly leaned against Kirby's shoulder. She caught herself suddenly, and sat upright again, "I'm sorry," she murmured, "I didn't mean to..." but Kirby smiled at her, and took her hand again, gently puling her to lean on him again,

"I don't mind. Really, I don't" he insisted, and Fumu let herself be comforted by Kirby's body. She could already feel the hardening muscles in his shoulders, where the wings attached. She could even feel the feathers of his wings, and she realized that one was extending and starting to drape over her shoulders. She blinked, and they recoiled. She heard Kirby's nervous voice,

"Sorry...didn't mean to invade your space but...it's getting a bit late and it started to get a little cold so I thought..." Fumu gently touched his face, quieting him,

"I don't mind." she said simply, and felt the wing drape over her body again. She relished it, the soft, yet strong feel of the feathers, enfolding her in a warm, heavenly sensation. She smiled, and edged closer to Kirby.

"The sunset's pretty," Kirby's voice jolted her out of her doze. She raised her head slightly,

"What?" she asked sleepily, and felt Kirby prod her arm,

"The sunset. Look." he said, and Fumu looked to the horizon. The sun had turned a blinding scarlet as its body was dipping below the horizon. It spilled a ruby-tinted radiance over the forest like tears, turning the leaves of the treetops a rich bronze. The sky had turned as pink as Kirby's skin, and the clouds a shade of lavender as they lazily sat around the sun, as if for warmth. She smiled, remembering the sunset on Popstar. Pain tore at her heart as she reminded herself she would never again see that view...she let a lone tear slide down her cheek.

As if in response, Kirby's wing seemed to pull her closer to him. She sighed, contented, and felt herself doze again.

...

"Wake up."

Fumu blinked open her eyes, feeling warm from sleep and feathers, to see Kirby's face close to hers. He had a paw raised to prod her, and blinked as she awoke, "We fell asleep. I think we should head back to the camp." he suggested. Fumu nodded drowsily, and stood up, stretching. Then, she grabbed ahold of Kirby's paw and they laced through the cool night air.

It was the best sleep Fumu had since she had fled Popstar.

...

When they arrived at camp, an eerie foreboding crept over Kirby. The place was deserted, and not even one of the hollowed-out stones' warbling sounds broke the silence. The warrior wondered briefly if something had happened while they were gone. He exchanged a glance with Fumu, and she reflected his misgivings like a mirror. They both headed for the den where they had left Meta Knight. Inside, it was too dark to see.

"Hello?" Kirby called into the den, "Meta Knight? Kiana?" Fumu walked up behind him,

"Are they...asleep?" she asked.

A voice broke the silence so suddenly, Kirby and Fumu jumped out of their skins, "Kirby! Get out!" it called, urgency ringing clearly through the feeble words. Alarmed, he recognized the voice, but couldn't see the speaker,

"Meta Knight! Where are you? What..._oof!_"

Kirby was cut off as a shadow slipped by him, and swung something into his head. The pink puff fell to the ground like a rock. Fumu gasped, and she fell down right next to him, shaking him uselessly,

"Kirby! Kirby get up!" she cried desperately, but the puffball did not respond. She felt the prescense of the shadow again and felt nothing but sheer horror as a black hood fell over her head. A sickly-sweet smell was drawn through her senses, and almost immeadiately she shut down next to her friend.


	13. Chapter 13: The Truth About Them

~Chapter 13~

Fumu blinked open her eyes, and flinched as a harsh, metallic light shone into her face and aggrivated the excruciating pain in her head. After a few minutes in which her senses began to perk back up, she realized her arms and body were strapped down. She blinked, getting used to the glare that shone in her eye, and began to pull at her restraints in vain, "What is this?" she asked the air, "Where's Kirby? Where is everyone?"

To her surprise, a voice answered her. The words were sugar-coated and dripped with acidic honey, "Hush, sweetie. You're okay now. Everything will be just fine..."

Memories dredged from her mind's bank, and she recalled that she had been drugged and knocked out. Angered, she recalled Kirby as well, meeting a more brutal method of putting him down, and spat, "You've two seconds to tell me where my friends are, where I am, and what's going on."

The voice paused, and resumed, "Of course, dearest. You've been infected with a deadly virus. It hasn't yet shown any symptoms, but it's only a matter of time." said the voice. It seemed to pause, and Fumu gritted her teeth,

"And where the hell are Kirby and Meta Knight? Where is this? What have you done?" she snarled questions out of fear, for she really couldn't see where she was. All she could make out was a pale room, and a light. The voice continued, but this time sounding more somber,

"Fumu, you are on Gemstar, in the Texico Lab's hospital. And, I'm sorry to say this, but your friends are dead."

Fumu shut her eyes, and didn't open them again.

...

A rising scream came from the pink warrior, as his mind was dragged into consciousness. He blinked open his eyes, alarm swamping him like a great wave. He saw in front of him white wire mesh, and made out his surroundings as a small cage. Instinct took over, and he hurled himself against the bars, to no avail. Kirby felt so frantic and angered, he could feel it prickling his skin sharply. He grabbed the cage bars and rattled them, his still-extended wings flapping back and forth in rage, "Who's there? Where the hell am I?" He kicked at the bars, and threw himself at it a few more times until a sudden, blaring light shone directly into his face. Kirby shied away, feeling the light grip his skull painfully. He felt a shadow pass over him,

"Kirby, is it? Well, you don't seem as harmless as you look." said a voice. He wanted to say it was familiar, but couldn't quite grasp the speaker's identity, "You have enabled flight, it seems. Well, well...isn't that just lovely?" the voice said in a voice slicked down with over-sweetness.

Kirby pounded his paws against the bars of his cage, "Damnit! Who the hell are you? Why am I in this freaking cage, and what did you do with my friends?" when the voice failed to reply right away, Kirby roared, "Answer me, damnit!"

"You're somewhere safe, Kirby. Rest assured. But your friends aren't, I'm afraid." the voice said quietly.

"Elaborate, you piece of shit." Kirby snarled, amazed somehow by his ferocity at his friends' lives being at stake.

"You're in Gemstar's hospital. Your friends, however, are taking dirt naps." the voice said sympathetically.

_Lying bastard._ Kirby thought, and rushed the cage wall again. He heard the voice,

"Tch, tch, tch...we can't have you doing that, Kirby. Forgive me for this." Kirby braced himself for a fireball or another weapon hilt to collide with his head again, but instead felt a sting in his side. He whirled around, just in time to see the tip of a syring needle retreating from between the cage bars. Kirby attempted to attack the cage wall again, but suddenly grew very dizzy and faint. He fell backwards, the effects of the injection taking place already.

"Y-you sorry...piece of...shit..." he spat out the curse, and the world spun away from him.

...

"I can't believe this." Meta Knight raged from inside his own confinement, "I had thought that..."

"Well you thought wrong," interrupted a voice of unknown origin. Though the speaker was not visible through the blinding, cold light that shone directly into his face, he recognized that voice,

"But...how could this have gone on this long without someone finding out? You should be shut down by now!" he growled, and paused as an unwanted shudder shook his person,

"Use your smarts, Mety." the voice drawled in defiance, "we have the most advaced technology in the galaxy. We have ways of keeping our doings and activities within the walls of this Labratory."

Meta Knight said nothing, and tried to ignore the constant pain that was inflicting his body with every shout and movement, "You...what have you done with them?" he growled,

"With who, dearest?" the voice asked in mock innocence.

"Kirby and Fumu! What have you done with them?" he repeated, trying to force down the pain that came with his words.

"Kirby...Fumu? Oh, yes, them!" The way the unknown speaker was going on, as if casual, made Meta Knight want to shear them open with his sword. Unfortunately, they had confiscated it upon taking him in. "Oh...my. They're scheduled for various experiments and injections for the rest of this week. We escpecially want to analyze this one you call Fumu. Seems she carries a rare disease."

"So do I." Meta Knight hissed, "So why are you trying to hurt Fumu instead?"

"Because the virus in you is dying." the voice said, "By some outstanding miracle, you survived a disease known to be certain death. Or, it could be the fact that you and the disease share heritage, maybe?"

"What are you saying?" Meta Knight demanded,

"I'm saying, a demon beast can survive a demon beast disease, am I right? Or am I wrong? Well, Mety?"

Meta Knight took in a ragged breath, barely seconds away from recklessly attacking the cage like Kirby had done, "It's true I was born a demon beast." he admitted, though he spat out each word with contempt drenching each, "But how do _you_ know that this disease was created by Nightmare?"

"Mety, have you forgotten?" the voice went on, "We have the most advanced technology in the galaxy. We can find out these things as easily as killing a spider."

"Where are Kirby and Fumu?" Meta Knight asked in a deadly tone, his eyes turning dark red.

"They're broken." the voice said in a casual, almost cheery tone, "They were both told that their friends are dead. That didn't go over well, though. Tsk, tsk."

Meta Knight hit the cage bars with a fist, "And what does telling them that do?" he roared, despite the pain.

Hesitation.

"Answer me, you little shit!" the knight shouted, and ignored the chills that still afflicted his body.

The voice went on, but slower, more serious, "You see, if we tell the subjects that their companions have perished, they will not struggle. They will lose hope. They will break like a cheap toy, and bend to our wishes. Genius, no?"

"No," Meta Knight breathed, "it's as screwed as your god damned mind."

"No need to be cursing, demon." the voice went on, "Your time will come too." Before Meta Knight could reply, the voice continued, "You see, we pride ourselves in the research we do, even the processes which are viewed by others as 'inhumane, ' and 'evil' and 'twisted.' It is how we gain knowledge, and knowledge is power. Don't you agree? Do you not think everything would be better if our knowledge grew to the point where we could aid the unsolvable problems of the universe? What is so horrible about that?"

"It's not knowledge, and you know it." Meta Knight said, "It's corruption, mutation, illegal experimentation with a false cover. You betray your own species when you turn them in to be injected with god-knows-what, and mutated and deposed to your liking. You provoke experiment rape to gain an offspring who dies of mutation in their infant years, and you call this 'knowledge and peace?' You truely are sick, twisted bastards." he finished, his red glare making the light that shone on him dim by comaprison.

He was sure the owner of the voice was smiling, "You've figured it out." it said, "Nothing could be this twisted and know so much about the Pestilence, created by Nightmare, unless, of course, we were in league with him the entire time."

Meta Knight blinked in complete shock as the voice went on, "Yes, demon. We are the last surviving branch of Nightmare Enterprises. We are currently scouring the galaxy for suitable experiments to morph into demon beasts, since Nightmare is gone, we make out own. And now...we've aquired the...the Prodigy."

Before he could ask, the voice continued, "Yes, Meta the Prodigy...the best, most perfect creation of Nightmare, so prefect, they could pratically be considered kin...he is back...and now..." the voice broke off briefly, and Meta Knight saw its owner approach his cage, "Tell me, Meta, how does it feel to know your apprentice was your father's killer?"

Meta Knight threw another fist at the cage bars, "He is not my father. He is dead." he spat, "And if you lay a claw on Kirby or Fumu...I swear..."

"Oh, really? You'll do what?" the voice cooed, and brought its owner's voice up close to the cage bars, "Meta, you had everything as a demon, and as son of Nightmare. You were admired and feared by all of the demon beats, and was predicted to be the downfall of the Star Warriors. You could have taken the throne after Nightmare...but you betrayed us. You turned your back on us, and left behind the fame, the praise...and for what? Just for the sake of a stupid pink runt? Why did you leave us, Meta?"

Meta Knight stared coldly at the speaker, "Because I am not one of you. I never was...Kiana." he hissed.

The green-feathered hybrid smirked at him through the bars of his cage, "So be it. And now you can watch your friends suffer and die...because of your choice..."


	14. Chapter 14: Tests of Pain

~Chapter 14~

Kirby felt the searing jolt course through his body painfully for the third time that day. Wheezing, he sped up his clip, although his lungs and muscles screeched a protest.

After the voice had tranquilized him nearly a day ago, two humanoids had come to him and taken his cage to this place. The room was large, and dim. There was a long treadmill track nearly touching both ends of the room. Walls were built on either side of the treadmill, keeping Kirby from jumping off. A moniter was hooked up on the outside, but Kirby could not see what it saw.

When Kirby had awoken to this scene, he was immeadiately ordered to start running. At first, Kirby let the brunt of his anger on them, along with a few colorful choice words, before one took out a remote and sent a startling shock through his body. Turns out he had something stuck to his back, between were his wings would be, that responded to the remote. After much struggling, they managed to throw the warrior into the treadmill tunnel, and everytime he slowed down or stopped to catch his breath, they would issue a shock to his small pink body, forcing him to keep running.

Kirby's breathing sounded like glaciers grating against one another, and his running was starting to turn to limping. He would have started another violent spurt of curses, but his lungs wouldn't spare him the oxygen.

He heard incoherent murmurs from the two scientists as they examined the moniter, and Kirby let himself slow, hopeful that they were too intent to notice him. But as soon as his pace dropped in speed, another electrocution wracked his body, and he kept running. Tears ran like streams down his face, expressing his exhaustion and anger. He began limping, and felt the jolt again. But the poor puff's body was shutting down from over-exertion. Kirby felt his vision narrowing, going gray, then darker gray, then black. The world turned dark and spun away, and he dimmly felt his body hit the treadmill track. He felt the stinging electrocutions again and again, but they began to feel fainter with each shock...

...

Fumu was also straining for oxygen. After several long, uncomfortable hours of laying strapped down to a metal table, a scientist, humanoid in appearance, unstrapped her and took her to a very large room. She was told to run through a maze until she found the exit, but no one had told her that she had a time limit. Everytime she slowed down, she felt a searing shock from the chip strapped between her shoulders, where she couldn't reach. And when she got lost, the metal panels beneath her feet heated up until they burned her, making her run faster.

Tears ran down her face freely, wishing she could escape the horrible, burning pain that had claimed her lungs and feet. _You are safe now._ That was what the voice had told her. Now Fumu wanted the voice who lied to her to go to hell.

Finally, she saw the exit, and pushed her way out, collapsing on the floor as she lept clear of the hot floor. Her breathing was rough and loud with exhaustion, and she heard a _thump_ as someone threw a half-filled water bottle toward her. Eagerly, she snatched it up and drained the strange orange contents inside, ignoring the sickly-sweet taste that made her stomach flinch. She was just happy it was cold, and soothing to her sore throat.

A scientist stood over her, writing busily on a clipboard, "Mmm-hmm. Fourty-six point two seconds. A new record. I think the heated panels are a help to the speed, since it orevents it from slowing down at all." He pointed at Fumu, "We should make it run on the heated panels the whole time, and see what happens." Several of his cohorts nodded in agreement, to Fumu's horror.

"Actually," piped up a younger-looking man, whose large glasses made his eyes look huge, "I think I have a better idea." Fumu felt herself grow anxious as the scientists urged him on,

The man pushed his glasses into his face and replied, "You have seen the pink thing that came with this one yesterday, right?" they nodded, "We have noticed the pink one has wings, and this one carries the Pestilence. Why don't we see what happens when we put them in the Dark Room together?"

An older man grinned, "Actually, Sherman, that's not such a bad idea. It could possibly be the makings of a new species, winged and immune to the galaxy's most dreaded virus." he said.

Fumu blinked, eyes wide. Kirby was alive? Why did they say he was dead, if they were only going to meet up a day later? More unsettling thoughts breached Fumu's mind. What was the Dark Room?

But someone had grabbed her roughly and pushed her into a large cage, barely much taller than she was. The cage was strapped to a dali, and the one who was at the handles propelled her through the lab halls like luggage. Fumu tried her best to take in all the sights around her, catalouging escapes and dead-ends, but the rooms and corridors passed her by quickly, making it nearly impossible to remember what it looked like. She then heard the man steering her speak. She looked up, and saw him talking into a transceiver, something about "the pink thing." Fumu sighed with relief. She would see Kirby again, at last.

The man drove her cage through a black door, and beyond it were black hallways. He walked down it a bit and turned, facing Fumu toward a cage-shaped indent in the wall. He bent down and unhooked her cage only enough for her to squeeze into the indent. No sooner had she made it in, when the man closed a shutter on the indent, trapping Fumu in a dark, small room as big as the cage she had been in. Frightened, and growing horribly claustrophobic, she pounded against the walls, her eyes flowing tears as they refused to yield against her force. Finally, the opposite wall lowered into the floor, letting her escape into a slightly bigger room.

The room was very dark, save for a few dim, flickering lights from the ceiling. Fumu stepped in, feeling the floor turn to cushion as she headed toward the room's center. It felt nice against her feet, which were burnt and sore from running, and she let herself fall into the pillowy flooring, easing her heart slowly.

For a moment she rested, and heard a sliding sound. She looked to the far side of the room, opposite of the wall she had entered in, and saw a splash of pink emerging from the antechamber. Joy and relief welled up inside her, "Kirby!" she cried, but her body refused to let her get up. The pink warrior saw her as well, and came limping toward her,

"Fumu...I knew...it..." Kirby gasped, and Fumu stared at him in horror as he came close up. His pink body was bruised and bleeding from lashes and cuts, and he looked pale from lack of oxygen, his blue eyes, usually so alight with radiance, were dull with fatigue, "I knew...they were lying...about you." he said, relief in his voice.

The two teens exchanged a long hug in celebration of their reunion, and when they seperated, Fumu ran her eyes over his injured frame, "What happened, Kirby?" she asked softly.

Kirby sighed, "Those damn bastards happened. They told me you and Meta Knight were dead, drugged me, and made me run nonstop. They then proceeded to shock, beat, and curse at me." he said, "What wimps..."

Fumu was still feeling emotional with the knowledge her friend was still alive, "They told me...you were dead too." she said, "But why tell us, when we're to meet the day after?" she asked, curiously.

Kirby shrugged, although it caused his bruised shoulders pain, "Who knows? Perhaps they just wanted to mess with our heads." he replied, "And now...we're in trouble..." he added. Fumu blinked at him,

"What do you mean? Why'd they put us in this Dark Room?" she asked slowly. Kirby fixed a serious, pain-glazed gaze on her,

"They said they take two experiments to the Dark Room, so..." he broke off, almost embarressed, and went on again, "This is the Lab's breeding room, it seems." he finished.

Silence.

Fumu gasped, "But...! We're too young!" she stammered. Kirby shook his head despairingly,

"Not to them. And my guy said if we're not 'done' in three hours, they'll be trouble." he groaned, and nodded at a cut on his arm, indicating what he meant.

Fumu winced, but decided to change the subject, "Where is Meta Knight, anyway?"

Kirby looked happy to be off the subject, "Not sure, but I haven't heard anything about any 'blue puffball' over the PA." he replied. He suddenly yawned, and seemed to teeter on his feet. Fumu blinked in alarm,

"Kirby, sit down." she told him, and the pink puff collapsed to the cushion floor beside her, sighing in pleasure as if cradled his aching body.

Kirby looked at her, "So what do we do?" he asked, and Fumu understood her meant their situation.

Fumu nodded determindly, though her eyes shone with fear, "We don't do 'it,' that's for sure." she said firmly, "When they come in three hours, we'll be ready for them." She made a fist, and tried a grin, but it came out strange. Kirby groaned again, feeling pain,

"We're gonna fight them...?" he asked uncertainly, and Fumu realized how weak and injured the puffball must be. Not in much condition to fight. Fumu sighed, and petted his head in comfort,

"We'll get out of this. I promise." she vowed, and felt her own body weigh her down with fatigue. She let herself sink into the cushions next to Kirby, so that their foreheads touched. She grabbed Kirby's paw in consolation, and he smiled gratefully. Too tired to talk anymore, they dozed, and soon drifted to sleep, still holding each other's hands.


	15. Chapter 15: Hell Breaks Loose

~Chapter 15~

Meta Knight stared through the his cage bars. So far, nothing had happened to him since Kinara had spoke to him. He made a fist and felt a rush of anger over the hybrid's betrayal, but then again, it wan't betrayal since she had been in league with these meglomaniacs the whole time. It was deception.

But he saw a dim light filtering from the ceiling glint off of a golden piece of metal, and his heart sped up when he recognized Galaxia. Since the room was deserted, the knight attempted to reach through the cage bars, toward Galaxia which had been carelessly placed on a stand near his cage. He had not seen it before, because of the blinding light at the time. But now that it was a soft, comfortable dark, his eyesight could pick out things more sharply that in the light.

He was inside a small lab room, and his cage was simply left on the floor, near a shelf at the wall. He didn't much keep looking after he had caught sight of his sword.

Reaching toward it with his body pressed against the mesh, his arm fully extended, his paw just grazed the hilt, and Meta Knight willed himself to edge as close as phyisically possible.

Finally, he simply swatted at the hilt, and the force was just enough to make the blade slide a bit closer. Smiling under his mask, Meta Knight now had the hilt in his grip. With a single stroke, the cage lay in pieces around him, "At last..." he breathed, and extended his wings, aiming for the exit.

Time for all hell to break loose.

...

"HEY! Get up!"

Fumu and Kirby jolted awake nearly bashing each other's skulls into one another in their haste. A voice, unmistakably one of the scientists was yelling at them from somewhere through a bullhorn, "You two lovebirds have reached your time limit. We're coming in!"

Fumu felt her skin prickle with fear, and yet felt energectic. Once again, a short sleep by her pink friend had rejuevenated her energy, and she made a fist. Kirby stood up a bit unsteadily, and Fumu supported him. A scientist marched into the room, and his appearance and stride made the inner children of Fumu and Kirby laugh a little, despite their situtation.

The man possesed a pointed nose, thinning hair, and a small, curly mustache. His was skinny, and he walked as if his pants were too tight. Fumu willed Kirby silently not to make a smart-alek remark.

The man looked them over carefully, "They've been sleeping this whole time," he reported, and as if on cue, more men barged in. A strong-armed brute grabbed Fumu's arm, hurting her with his iron grip, and she desperately scratched and smacked his beefy fingers. The scientist brutes laughed at her feeble resistance. Two of them managed to grab hold of Kirby, and were dragging him across the floor toward a cage-in-dali thing. Fumu screamed his name, and Kirby began struggling, but his injured state allowed him no strength to fight with.

Then a green feather drifted past Fumu's face.

Hope rose in her like a fountain, and she looked up to where Kinara, the green-feathered hyrbid who had given them aid upon their visit to Aurastar, "Kinara!" Fumu cried in joyful desperation. She was here to help!

Or so she thought.

The female barely gave Fumu a sideways glance, and turned her sudden anger on the brutes in the room, "You dolts!" she growled, "Didn't I tell you specifically to keep them apart? Now you've gone and ruined everything! You idiots, I outta fire you here and now."

Fumu blinked, "Kinara, it's me, Fumu! Help us!" but her hope diminshed like a dewdrop on hot metal as the avain-lupine creature rounded on her,

"Help you? But that would mean betraying my team." she spat, though a mocking glare shone in her amber eyes. Fumu gasped,

"Y-you're...in league with...?"

"Yes, young Fumu, I am." Kinara confirmed, smirking deviously, "Since you're clueless and confused, let me fiill you in." The green-feathered creature cleared her throat, and began speaking, "To make this as brief as I can, this is Texico Labs on Gemstar, the last branch of Nightmare Enterprises." she ignored Fumu's gasp of shock and went on, "We have taken you for one reason and one reason only. Because Meta the Prodigy travled with you." She smiled, and paced in a circle around Fumu,

"You see, darling, your friend Meta Knight was once a demon beast. The son of Nightmare himself, and the one destined for greatness." her tone turned bitter, "But he backstabbed us, betrayed us, for despite the fact he had killed ruthlessly in the past, he was soft. Weak. And in the end, joined enemy forces." She spat on the floor in anger, and resumed,

"His apprentice, Kirby, killed his own father, and we have searched the universe for the runaway. When we found him on Popstar..." she smirked, and Fumu felt raw dread creeping up her spine, "We shot it, and contaminated it with the Pestilence, knowing if we could either infect him or drive him off the planet, we had success." Fumu and Kirby shared a simotaneous gasp,

"You...what?" Fumu shrieked, and Kinara nodded slowly,

"Indeed young one. We, Texico Labratory, are the creators of the Pestilence, under direct order of Nightmare many centuries ago. And, as you can see, we have succeded in our mission. We have also acquired two new guinie pigs." she waved at her and Kirby.

"What have you done with Meta Knight?" Kirby shouted, fighting vainly against his assailiants. Kinara shrugged, still smirking,

"Nothing. Nothing at all." she said simply, "Don't worry. He mourns both of your deaths." she added, and cackled.

But at that second, an ear-shattering electrical scream sounded, and a cresent of white lightning ripped through the Dark Room. Standing amid the destruction, was Meta Knight.

Fumu brightened, and Kirby cheered his mentor's name. Meta Knight fixed a metallic rad gaze on Kinara, "Didn't I warn you not to touch these two?" he hissed in a low, threatening voice. For a second, Kinara actually looked daunted. Before she could reply, the room went pitch black.

"The power!" Fumu cried in dismay. They had cut the power in order to escape.

"Kinara! You traitorous coward! Come out and face me!" Meta Knight shouted into the din of yelling scientists.

The green-feathered hybrid's silky voice rose over them, "Oh no, Meta. Now things have gotten difficult for you. Very difficult."

It an istant, it was silent. The only thing that lightened the darkness was the light from Meta Knight's eyes, "Fumu, are you alright?" he asked urgently. Fumu, feeling shaky with fear and tension, nodded and replied,

"Yes...I'm okay."

"Kirby? Are you alright?" Meta Knight demanded.

No response.

"Kirby?" Fumu called, her voice rising in panic as he didn't call back, "Kirby! Kirby, where are you?"

"No..." breathed Meta Knight, "Those bastards...they..."

The scientists had taken Kirby.


	16. Chapter 16: Negotiations

_Hailfire Vulpes: So sorry! But I have somewhere to be today, so I can only post one chapter. To make up for it, I'll post three tommorrow. _

~Chapter 16~

A void of nothingness allowed Kirby to float about. There was nothing except jet-blackness all around him, and the pink warrior recalled the familiarity of this darkness.

_Dreaming again._ He thought, though he could not remember ever falling asleep.

As Kirby seemed to hover in the nothingness, he saw a pinpoint of light in the distance. He wasn't sure how he was doing it, but his body began to float toward it as curiosity took him over.

The speck of light grew closer and closer, until Kirby could see its red highlights. _I knew it._ Kirby thought as he drew closer. Stone materialized beneath his feet, and the void around him took form of that of a cavern.

What produced the light was the blade he so often dreamed of: Andromeda. The ruby sword was plunged into a boulder. _No more joking around._ He thought determindly, and with no caution, lunged at the sword's hilt. He took it in his pink paws awkwardly, and pulled, but it refused to yield.

_For the love of god..._he thought in frustration. The first dream he could actually touch the sword and not be jolted awake, and it won't even come loose for him!

Then a thought struck him. He kicked himself for not thinking of it before.

Kirby took a few paces back from the sword, and used his signature move: Inhale.

The sucking winds tugged forcefully at the stuck weapon, causing it to tilt. Kirby kept inhaling, and debris from the cave began to swirl up in dust devils all around. The sword kept leaning toward him, until the sound of metal grating on rock was heard.

With no warning, the blade came loose, flying fast toward Kirby's mouth.

But suddenly, it swerved midair and clocked him hard upside the head. Kirby let out a stream of cuss words, holding his head as a violent pain overtook it.

Then he realized it was real pain.

...

Kirby blinked open his eyes, wincing as a sharp light seemed to rouse the headache in his skull. As his mind and body took on wakefullness, he noticed every muscle, every bone hurting as he tried to move them. One of his eyes were half closed, and felt swollen, and Kirby's skin felt sticky and matted from the dried and fresh blood on his arms and face. The bruises sang with pain as he shifted.

More observation showed that he was laying in something soft, a bed. As the powerful light receded its ferocity on his head pain, Kirby looked up, seeing a white room.

He tried to sit up, but his battered frame wouldn't allow him the luxury of movement. He sank back into the bedding, shutting his eyes painfully. The sound of approaching footsteps made them open again, this time flaring with enough hostility to fill Texas.

Standing over him was that green-feathered, two-faced, lowest of the low, coniving traitor, Kinara. She appeared to look happy with Kirby's awakening, "Good morning, sleepy-head." she greeted, not even trying to hide the sneer embedded in it, "You slept well, I presume?"

Kirby glowered, and shot her the bird. Kinara shook her head, that ugly, enraging smirk still creased on her muzzle, "Now, now, no need to be hostile. That is no way to show gratitude after I saved your life."

If he had at least an ounce of strength, Kirby would have lept at her and strangled the life out of her, but since he felt too weak, his gaze portrayed his longing to harm the young hybrid, "Liar," he snarled, his voice weak and hoarse, but seething with venemous hatred, "What have you done to my..." he broke off, wincing, as a sudden sting stabbed his chest area. He gasped, feeling pain. Kinara shook her head, the smirk never leaving,

"Don't strain yourself Kirby. Not after what happened when we tried to take you back to your cage." she murmured. Kirby glared as poisonously as he could, his breathing shallow with pain. His expression could be read like a book: "Talk."

Kinara sighed, "You don't remember, how sad." she said, "We fled with you after they cut the power to allow us escape. You fought. Oh, you fought visciously. You fought like your life depended on it, but sadly, if it did, you'd be dead." Kirby frowned. That much he believed. It gave an explanation to his wounds. But Kinara was still smiling. There was more, "You _will_ be dead soon too, but that is up to your friends to decide. But I'm willing to bargain." She leaned closer to Kirby, and his paws shook with the temptation to grab her throat and cave it in, "Your friend, Meta Knight, rejoins Nightmare Enterprises, or your death. They decide."

Kirby, finding words, used them to vent out his pent-up anger at the traitor, "Stupid bitch. What makes you think Meta Knight would ever join you? And what shit in your screwed mind makes you think you can kill me? I'd like to see you try, you traitor."

Kinara grinned, "Fiesty fellow, are you not? And yes, Kirby, I can induce your death. I can let you suffer as you go out, and there would be nothing your friends can do. In a few minutes, when they come looking, we'll see how much you are worth to them." she said. Kirby suddenly felt light-headed, and his lungs tight. His chest hurt with each new breath, and he found tears running down his face. Kinara continued as if she didn't notice, "And, I'm not a traitor, Kirby. I've always been on one side. The prevailing side, that is." She cut her eyes at Kirby, and if her smirk could get any wider, it did, "It appears your friends have a time table. You won't last much longer, that's for sure."

Kirby said nothing, as he tried to coax air into his body as non-painfully as possible. _I don't care anymore..._he thought sullenly, _If I have to die...just...don't let them hurt Fumu and Meta Knight...don't..._

Kirby's breathing grew shallower and shallower, and he could hear the faint beeps on the pulse moniter by his bed grow slower and slower...

...

Fumu and Meta Knight sped along the hallways, dodging scientists and guards, a few of which Meta Knight was forced to kill. Fumu had tears running down her face as her pained feet hit the ground. What would they want with Kirby?

Meta Knight overtook her in speed, and caught sight of a hybrid wandering the hall in front of them. With no warning, he sped at it, throwing it into the wall and holding Galaxia at its throat. The hybrid's eyes were considerably wide for someone astonished, and he began to take a breath to yell for help. He pushed Galaxia into his ruff, "Say a word, and your head comes off." he growled, "Now you're going to tell me something, and you're going to be honest, because that's the only thing that will keep you alive right now, got it?" The avian-lupine creature nodded as best he could with the sword pushed into his throat. Meta Knight even surprised himself with how threatening he sounded, and how willing he was to take this creature's life to save his apprentice's. Fumu came up beside him, her gaze raking the hall for any sort of trouble or anything that could suggest the location of her friend.

"Now tell me," Meta Knight said, "Where did they take Kirby?" The hybrid shook his head, his teeth chattering in genuine fear,

"I-I dunno man! I swear...! I have n-no id-dea...ack!" The blade pushed closer, blocking his airway. The knight was in no mood to hear his inconvienience,

"That's not what I asked. I asked where they took Kirby, and you _do _know, and you will tell me. Won't you?" he threatened. The hybrid was visibly shaking, his claws trying unsuccessfully to push the sword away from his throat. Eventually, he choked out a reply,

"K-Kirby...? I-I don't..." The sword was now cutting his flesh, and a thin trail of blood dripped from the creature's neck, "Okay! Okay! I know...where h-he is..." he said, "K-Kinara...took him to...the infirmary...down the hall...ways..." he gasped, and practically sank to the floor when Meta Knight pulled Galaxia away. He turned to Fumu,

"Let's go," he said, and they sprinted through the corridors. As they ran, Fumu stared at her friend,

"I've never seen you so scary before." she commented. The knight's amber eyes flicked toward her for a second, "You looked like you were really gonna kill that guy." _He seems to have recovered. _Fumu thought in relief, looking at the swordsman.

"I was," Meta Knight replied straightforward, "If he was going to be difficult, I was willing to kill him. Yours and Kirby's lives are worth ten of their lives." he said sincerely, and Fumu smiled gratefully.

...

Kinara was bent over Kirby again, who had a line of unspoken curses going through his head. She was shaking her head, "Tch, tch, tch. Your friends are running a bit late." She looked at Kirby, who had gone pale and whose breathing was irregular and rapid, "Oh my, Kirby you don't look so good. What's wrong?" she smiled maliciously, "You need this?" she held a syrine in her claws, and waved it in front of the ailing puffball, "It's supposed to relieve pain and fight infection and...oh, what am I saying? You don't need this." she pointedly tossed the syringe onto a shelf, and smirked, "You seem to be coping."

She barely seemed ruffled as Meta Knight and Fumu burst their way into the room. "Kinara! What have you done with Kirby?" Fumu shouted, her hands curled into fists as she and Meta Knight approached her. Kinara said nothing, and gestured to the hospital bed Kirby was laying in.

"Kirby!" She and Meta Knight cried in unison, and started toward him. Kinara stepped in their path, "Move it!" Fumu snarled. She had trusted Kinara, she had trusted this creature with Meta Knight's life, and at one point, her own. She seemed to care so much about them upon their arrival to Aurastar, but now Fumu felt nothing but hatred and rage toward the green-feathered hybrid. She had decieved them. Betrayed them. And now she was putting Kirby at risk.

Kinara shook her head, "Good morning, Fumu. You should know that I have been tending to your injured friend while you were on your way. You should also know he will die without my medicine." She smirked, "And I am not willing to treat him properly unless I recieve something in return." she stared over Fumu's head, looking at Meta Knight, whose eyes faded to red.

"Like that's going to happen." Meta Knight hissed, his paw gripping the hilt of Galaxia, "You want me back in Nightmare's army, and you are willing to sacrifice Kirby's life for that. What sort of sick bitch are you? Kirby has nothing to do with it!"

"He has everything to do with it!" Kinara insisted, "He was Nightmare's killer. I am willing to avenge my master's defeat by taking the runt's life. But I am also willing to save it on account you let bygones be bygones and come back."

"Kirby's life is worth ten of yours." Meta Knight said, "I can't see why you're still needed in this world." he was about to draw Galaxia, when Kinara intercepted for her life,

"If you kill me, Meta, Kirby will die. Only I know what medicine in here will heal him. And I will only heal him if you reunite with Nightmare Enterprises. Will you?" she held out her paw, claws extended, and put on a guarded, pleading face. Meta Knight exchanged glances with Fumu, who looked destraught and confused.

He looked at his apprentice, who seemed tiny in the hospital bed. His pink body was dotted with bruises and slashed and matted with blood. One eye was swolled and blackened, and he noticed the heart moniter by his bed slowing. Kirby was dying, and he could prevent it..._Kirby's life is worth ten of yours..._

A life of such worth could not afford to be lost.

Meta Knight's paw rose, and accepted Kinara's paw. He heard Fumu gasp in shock and outrage. Kinara smiled, "I knew you'd see reason, Meta. Now, about your apprentice..." she turned toward a shelf of medical appliances, and appeared to be looking through miscellanious containers. Fumu stared at him in shock and genuine hurt,

"Why...why...did you...?" she murmured, tears welling up in her eyes.

Meta Knight stole a glance at Kinara, "I have to belong, and it is for Kirby's sake..." Fumu said nothing else, but Meta Knight was sure she thought him a traitor.

His paw clenched into a fist. He'd show who was the traitor here.

Kinara turned around again, holding a syrine in her paw. She was fixing a needle onto it, taking her sweet time. Kirby was now trembling, and no one could even hear him breathe. Kinara began chatting casually, "I was so sure you would let him die." she said, "I was sure you were going to turn down my generous offer, but it seems you've still kept your wits about you. Though I'd usually oppose to aiding the enemy..." she nodded at Kirby, "I'd like to hold up my end of the bargain, so you'd be compelled to stay. Don't you think it is only fair that I let your friend live, and I get you as well?"

Meta Knight smiled under his mask, "Whatever you say. But no one ever said I have to hold up my end of the deal." he drew out Galaxia, and before Kinara had any time to react, the blue knight had plunged the sword into her back, the tip portruding from her chest. Kinara's jaw dropped, and she held her chest, no sounds making it past her hung, impaled on Galaxia for a few seconds, before Meta Knight let her drop. The hybrid fell, blood forming rapidly under her body. Her green feathers and fur began to turn scarlet,

She turned her head, jaws quivering in shock, and eyes wide with accusation. Amazingly, she spoke, "Y-you...traitor..." she forced out. Meta Knight stared her down coldly,

"I am no traitor," he said, coincidently quoting Kinara's words, "I was always on one side. The prevailing side."

Kinara's body gave a violent shudder. She looked as if she had more to say, but her oxygen was depleated, leaving her to choke and gasp uselessly until finally she stilled. Kinara was dead.

...

Fumu quickly grabbed the syringe Kinara had dropped and leaned over Kirby's bed. The pink puff was hardly breathing now, and Fumu gently stroked his head, "Everything will be okay now, Kirby. Hold still, this will make you better." She gently pushed the needle into Kirby's arm, and pressed the plunger down, injecting the vital medicine that would save Kirby's life.

When she finished, Fumu half-expected Kirby to start breathing normal again, to sit up, a bit sore, and be okay, but there was no difference. Meta Knight was examining the heart moniter, "I don't understand," she heard him say, "Why is his heartbeat still so slow?"

Fumu grabbed Kirby's paw, "Kirby, you gotta listen to me," she said, her voice rising in panic, "You've gotta be strong, for me, okay Kirby? You gotta fight. I know you can, Kirby. I know because I've seen you do it before. You can get through this...I promise..." she murmured. Kirby's eyes opened, and he fixed a cloudy gaze on Fumu. He smiled feebly,

"You know..." he said softly, between shallow breaths, "I am...glad...Meta Knight didn't really...go back to..." he nodded hastily, and Fumu understood what he meant, "I am...also glad...he is getting...better again...I wish I...had his strength..." he gasped out. Fumu felt dread pricking her spine,

"Kirby, you do have the strength." Meta Knight said from where he stood, "You can get through this, just as I am surviving the Pestilence, you can survive your inuries."

Kirby looked at Fumu, "I just...need to say this...I can't quite..." he broke off, panting weakly as his lungs ached for air. It just hurt too much. Breathing was an ordeal. Movement was hellish on his body. He just wanted it to all go away, but with banishing his pain came a price...he felt his eyes closing gently.

Fumu felt his grip on her hand slowly grow weaker. Fumu grasped his paw, "No, Kirby! Don't...you can do this..." Fumu begged, tears welling up in her eyes.

Kirby sighed, ever so faintly, and murmured, "I just want you to know...I've never heard...you sing before..." he said, "If your singing...is like your spellbinding...beauty...I want to...hear..." he murmured. Fumu tried to ward off the shuddering that had made its way into her breathing. If Kirby wanted a song, he would get one...Fumu relaxed her grip on Kirby's paw and her voice began to cradle Kirby in a world of contentment,

_I'm so tired of being here  
>Suppressed by all my childish fears<br>And if you have to leave  
>I wish that you would just leave<br>Your presence still lingers here  
>And it won't leave me alone<em>

_These wounds won't seem to heal  
>This pain is just too real<br>There's just too much that time cannot erase_

_When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears_  
><em>When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears<em>  
><em>And I held your hand through all of these years<em>  
><em>But you still have<em>  
><em>All of me<em>

_You used to captivate me_  
><em>By your resonating light<em>  
><em>Now I'm bound by the life you left behind<em>  
><em>Your face it haunts<em>  
><em>My once pleasant dreams<em>  
><em>Your voice it chased away<em>  
><em>All the sanity in me<em>

_These wounds won't seem to heal_  
><em>This pain is just too real<em>  
><em>There's just too much that time cannot erase<em>

_I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone_  
><em>But though you're still with me<em>  
><em>I've been alone all along<em>

Just as Fumu finished singing, Kirby smiled. His paw dropped suddenly from her hand. Fumu only just noticed the constant tone peeling through the air from the heart moniter as Kirby flatlined...


	17. Chapter 17: A Choice To Be Made

~Chapter 17~

Kirby's eyes fluttered open, to see nothing except darkness overhead. He sighed, and was somewhat surprised to find how there was no pain like before. He pushed himself into a sitting-up position, feeling a bit sore, but the excruiciating pain had gone. He examined the atmosphere around him, and noticed a tiny pinprick of a light in the distance. _Yet another dream about Andromeda...?_ he thought dryly, and was about to stand up when movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention.

He turned his head slightly, and saw a flash of yellow and blue. Kirby drew in breath to call out, but before he could, the figure stepped out to meet him. He was genuinely shocked to see Bun.

The fourteen-year-old boy who had his life forced out of him by the Pestilence was walking in his dreams. Kirby blinked, feeling a slow dread instinctively scrawl over his skin. What was Bun doing here? Bun looked at him, and smiled in that friensly way he had always had when alive. He moved toward Kirby and silently helped the pink puff to his feet.

Moments of silence passed, and finally Kirby broke the quiet, "What are you doing here?" he asked softly, not sure if he wanted to know.

Bun smiled, but Kirby could almost detect an air of pity around the boy, "You fought bravely, Kirby." he said, avoiding the question.

Kirby blinked, and repeated his question, "Why are you here? Am I dreaming?"

This time, Bun's smile weakened, and he sighed, making Kirby bristle in alarm, "Sort of," he said hesitantly, "Well...I came to you because you're stuck in the Transition."

"Transition?" Kirby asked, and Bun nodded silently. Kirby felt cold dread in his body, "Does that mean...that...I-I'm dead, and you're here to take me to the afterlife?" He pointed at the distant light, "Is that it?" he asked softly, and Bun nodded

"That's it, all right..." he said quietly.

More silence.

Kirby felt uncontrollable tears well up in his eyes. Was it truely his time, was he to leave Fumu and Meta Knight forever...?

Kirby began to move toward the light, but Bun moved and stood in front of him, "Stop," he said, holding out a hand, "I want to say something."

Kirby looked at Bun, feeling the hot tears run down his face. Bun smiled, "You sure have grown up a lot Kirby. It seems sort of like yesterday when you first crash-landed in Dreamland as a baby. No one thought much of you as a warrior, but...now look at you." he gestured toward Kirby, "The town had trusted you with its life. You've been a great friend to me...and I thank you for making these past few years the best years I've ever lived..." he murmured.

Kirby felt his heart break for his departed friend, though part of him was still mystified at the fact tht he was communing with a spirit. He had thought of spirits as wispy-looking things, but as he looked at Bun, he saw that he had a body, a solid form...he looked as he did before his death, and knowing that made Kirby even sadder.

Bun was not yet done, "I've always known you as the guy who never gave up, who kept going and wouldn't stop...which is why I had come to admire you though I'm older than you. It's why so many people admire you. So many people have come to trust you with their life, and they would be willing to protect you because of the protection you give them...and...someone feels more than admiration for you...you should know." he said. For a moment, the mischievous smile appeared on his face, but was gone in a flash. Kirby could guess who the "someone" was.

He blinked, his eyes growing red from tears, "Why are you telling me this?" he asked quietly, so his voice wouldn't crack. Bun walked up to him, and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder,

"Maybe it's just something I wished I could have said before..." he broke off, and Kirby nodded. The knowledge of the incident made it hard for him to believe Bun's words about people admiring him now.

"I should have been able to protect you, and them..." Kirby muttered bitterly, and sighed shakily, "And now...I can't protect anyone ever again..." Bun frowned, and shook his head,

"No Kirby, sometimes things happen even you can't prevent. You're not immortal, you know."

_Immortal._ Kirby's heart ached as he remembered Fumu singing to him before he had blacked out to this dream. At least he would remember her beautiful voice, and he promised he would preserve that memory forever, "But...how can I...now?" he asked despairingly. Bun patted his head,

"Listen, there's still hope. You, of all people, should know." Bun said, attempting to stir up confidence in his friend.

Kirby shook his head, "But I'm dead, aren't I." It wasn't a question, and Kirby felt sharp pains in his heartstrings, "I can't..." Bun held up a hand to stop him,

"You're not dead yet, Kirby. You still have a choice. Though you are not in your body, nor the spirit world, you can choose where you go from here. Most people cannot handle the stress you are going through now, and leave their friends behind in the world of the living...but you can choose whether or not you can handle the ordeals ahead and continue to live beside friends, or give up..." Bun backed away, "There is a place here for you, Kirby. There's a place for everyone, but I don't believe you're ready." he said, and began toward the light. Kirby watched his figure become smaller and smaller, and finally vanish into the pinpoint of light.

Kirby took a step after him, and paused. He thought of Fumu, and felt as if all the unbearable pain his body was suffering had focused in on his heart. If he left...he'd destroy Fumu...he didn't want to think of her so miserable, a shadow of her former self after his death...she would try to kill herself, and waste her life out of a terrible saddness. He did not want Fumu to suffer because he had ended his suffering in death...there was still something to do...

Kirby began sprinting, away from the light, "Fumu!" he called, "I'm coming!" he kept running, ignoring the strain in his lungs, and as he cast a curious look over his shoulder, he gasped in dismay and horror. The light was following him! And coming up fast. Kirby surged forward, feet blurring across the floor of his dream. He could feel the light's warmth now, begging for him.

He turned his head to see it, "Go away!" he spat, still running, "I'm not going with you! Go away!"

_I want to be back with Fumu again...I can't leave her, because if we seperated...we'd both be destroyed. We are two halves of a whole that can only live together...an inseperable, invaluable...we can't...leave..._

Kirby thought no more as the light swallowed him. Sounds and sights blurred in his senses. After the light came darkness. Utter darkness...


	18. Chapter 18: True Feelings

~Chapter 18~

"No...NO!" Fumu cried, and Meta Knight was by her side,

"Damnit, he's flatlining!" the knight growled, and Fumu grabbed Kirby by the shoulders, shaking him back and forth,

"Kirby! KIRBY! Please don't do this to me! Get up! Please! You'll be fine! You just have to hang on...!" her words were broken by her mournful sobs, "Kirby...Kirby...it's not true..." she murmured. She felt Meta Knight's paw on her shoulder,

"Fumu..." the swordsman's voice sounded close to breaking, but his saddness was kept carefully guarded, "He's gone..."

Fumu stood motionless for a minute, staring blindly at Kirby's body, bruised and broken, and _just too still..._her face was drenched in her tears, and more poured down, she didn't even bother to wipe them away...suddenly she shrugged off the knight's paw and jumped onto Kirby's bed. She grabbed his shoulders again, shaking him with more force this time,

"You can't die! Kirby, I swear to god, if you die...DON'T DIE. Wake up, please...please...Kirby...!" Fumu begged. The body she held was too deathly still and cold...so cold...

The room went white in Fumu's eyes, everything faded except for herself and Kirby. The blare of the heart moniter was drowned out by Fumu's sobbing. She still held Kirby in her hands, and suddenly furious determination forced itself over her conscious. She made a fist, rose it into the air, and brought it down upon Kirby's chest. Again and again, she beat his chest, as if the force could jolt life back into him. All the while, she begged and cursed and cried insessently.

"Get up Kirby! You're not supposed to die! You're not supposed to give up!" she punched his chest harder, "Little shit! Wake up! Please...Kirby! What am I supposed to do if...you..." a loud sob cut her off, and just as she was about to bring her fist down on him again, she let it drop, and simply gathered the pink puff in her arms, pulling him close. Tears strolled off her cheeks, and dripped off of her face, landing lightly on Kirby's skin, "Listen Kirby..." she murmured softly, "I'm sorry I couldn't help you...I though I could...I'm not strong enough to protect you...I can't...I'm...so...sorry...Kirby, please...forgive me!" her crying descended into a low shuddering, but her words kept coming, "I wanted to protect you...I wanted to be by your side always...I always wanted to be with you, because I..." her voice dropped, "_I love you..._"

Meta Knight blinked under his mask, and was surprised to feel tears had slipped their way down his face. He was too, truely distraught for Kirby's death, and Fumu's loss. He recalled the time when he had lost the will to live and fight the Pestilence that wracked his body, and Fumu had given him something to live for. A kiss. Since then, he had felt...strange...a longing, as if, to be with her. He had thought, until now, Fumu had felt the same, but it appears she had her eye on Kirby, and the embrace had been out of desperation. Meta Knight felt no disappointment, however, that Fumu had chosen Kirby over him. He only felt helpless, knowing that he could do nothing to ease her terrible grief. He had lost comrades in battle before, and remembering them die all around stung like an old wound, and he shook his head. Why did his friends have to suffer so young?

Fumu held Kirby's body close, and gently placed a kiss on each cheek, hugging his body close. She sighed, and let him slip limply back into the bed.

But as he slid out of her arms, his paw caught in her hand. His little paw looked as if it was holding onto her...unwilling to let go yet. Fumu let more tears fall onto Kirby's face. She let Kirby's paw rest in her hand for a moment, and began to draw away.

But Kirby's paw still held on.

Fumu blinked dully, and noticed that Kirby's paw was gripping her hand, and ever so slightly, felt a squeeze from it. She gasped, and noticed the flat, constant tone of the heart moniter give a jump. Then another, and another, until a series of slow jumps beeped throughout the room. She saw the pink face grow a smile, and his eyes fluttered open, he yawned feebly, and nodded, "Love you too, Fumu." he said in a weak voice.

"Kirby!" Fumu and Meta Knight called in unison. Kirby looked at the faces of his friends, and knew he would never bear it if he had to leave them. Though his body throbbed painfully, he considered it a welcome back to life, to wakefullness. He felt Fumu's hug again, and returned it warmly.

Kirby was back. He promised he would never leave his friends again...


	19. Chapter 19: Trust No One

~Chapter 19~

"...It came from in here..."

Immeadiately in response to the voice, the trio took shelter. Fumu ducked behind a shelf while Meta Knight ran into a closet, dragging Kinara's body with him. Kirby lay back in the bed, acting...normal.

The door to the room swung open, and two young creatures stepped in, both of them had purple skin and four arms, and the taller of the two had spots. They wore lab coats, dead giveaways that they were scientists here. Fumu held her breath anxiously as one passed dangerously close to her hiding spot.

"Nothin' here, Frank." the smaller of the two said, "You were hearing voices, I think."

The older one looked at him, "It's Jim, thank you. And Barry, I was sure I heard voices from in here..."

"Yer full of bullshit." Barry said, "We're being sidetracked. We're needed at the hangars, like, right now." he said. Jim sighed,

"Fine, fine. I'm going." he said, and the twosome left the room. It was several mintues before Fumu and Meta Knight revealed themselves. Kirby sat up, and the three exchanged looks,

"Hangars?" Fumu murmured, "You mean, this place has ships or something?"

"That's generally what hangars are for, Fumu." Kirby said, crossing his short arms.

"And that means we have a way to escape." Meta Knight said, "The Halberd is still back on Aurastar, I assume, and we'll have to go back and retrieve it, and leave."

Fumu nodded, and looked at Kirby, who still looked too banged-up to be moving much, "Kirby, can you make it?" she asked in concern.

The pink puff nodded, "Once I get out of here, I can get anywhere." he insisted.

"Now, how do we get to the hangars from here without being noticed?" Fumu asked, looking to the knight for answers. Meta Knight looked thoughtful, and nodded,

"We'll try to get through unnoticed, but if anyone recognizes us, we'll have to resort to violence." he replied. Kirby winced.

...

Meta Knight and Fumu, who was supporting Kirby since he showed difficulty walking, traversed the hallways, all senses alert for any sight or sound that could indicate a hangar that contained airships they could hijack. They caught sight of a hybrid dressed in full pilot regelia, hustling down the hallways. Quickly and silently, the group followed him.

He rounded several corners, causing difficulty for our heroes to track him as he jogged through the corridors. "He's in an awful hurry." Kirby commented, and Fumu shushed him. Finally, they saw the creature duck into a door.

They waited a few moments, and followed. The door led into another hallway, shorter and narrower, and beyond the door at the end was a vast room. This room was open to the sky, which blazed brightly with the afternoon sun. Several small airships lay unmoving in the room, facing the opening, and when the traid saw no one around, they hurried down to the closest ship.

They piled in, and to their dismay, saw how small it was. "This is a freaking clown ship..." Kirby muttered, fidgeting. He and Fumu were squashed side-by-side behind the driver's seat, which Meta Knight had taken. He appeared to be pulling at some wires from underneath the dashboard. Kirby straightened a bit to see, "Hey, Meta Knight! Are you...hotwiring the ship?"

He saw his mentor's gaze flash toward him briefly, and back to what he was doing, "Well, Kirby, considering we didn't have the time to find someone with keys..."

"Okay, okay. I know." Kirby interrupted, "But where'd you learn to hotwire vehicles? It's pretty cool."

Meta Knight blinked, "I have my secrets." he said, and began pushing the wires back under the dashboard, since the engine had started.

Kirby smiled, "That's awesome." he said, "Can you show me how to do that?"

"How about, 'no?'" the swordsman said, and took ahold of the steering mechanism. The ship began to rise steadily.

Kirby smirked, and flashed a glance at Fumu, "Now let's go blow up the Death Star!" he joked, and Fumu elbowed him gently,

"Now's not the time." she said, and Kirby fell silent.

...

It had taken several hours to reach Aurastar, and it seemed more like days to the twosome who were crowded in the one-person airship. Kirby wouldn't stop fidgeting, and Fumu was complaining that Kirby was moving too much. Meta Knight kept having to tell them to shut up.

Eventually, they reached the jungle planet, and landed the tiny ship next to the Halberd. Kirby was the first one out, flopping out of the ship and hitting the ground painfully. He pounded the earth with a paw, "Freedom!" he cried, and Fumu helped him up to his feet. Meanwhile, Meta Knight examined the damaged wing he had heard Kirby talking about a few days ago when they had first landed on this planet.

"It's not too bad," he reported, and pointed at the stolen Texico vehicle, "We'll scavenge parts off of that." he said.

After stealing a piece of the ship's body to repair the hole in the Halberd's wing, they boarded the battleship. Kirby was thankful to have his personal space again. As the ship whirred to life and rose up, Meta Knight turned to look at Fumu and Kirby, "I must say something," he said, and his friends redirected their attention to him,

The knight coughed lightly and said, "It appears as if most planets in this galaxy have civilizations that are in league with Texico, of Nightmare Enterprises. We will have to be more vigilant, more cautious from now on, so we avoid running into trouble again." he paused, and looked at his young friends' serious faces, realizing how much they had changed over so little time. They seemed...stronger, tougher. Meta Knight resumed, "From now on, we will not trust anyone we meet." he said slowly.

Fumu and Kirby exchanged glances, and Kirby nodded, the first to agree. Fumu nodded in agreement as well, and they stood there in silence for a moment until Meta Knight spoke again,

"Get some sleep, Fumu and Kirby. You need it." he said. Kirby had already vanished down the hallway.

Fumu frowned, "What about you? You're still weak from the Pestilence." she said in concern.

"Yes, but I am regaining my strength. I will be fine." he sighed, "It is you I worry about, Fumu." he said quietly.

Fumu blinked, and nodded slowly, feeling the familiar alarm creep into her, "I know..." she said softly, "I...what do I do...?" she asked quietly.

The knight sighed softly, "We can only hope the disease will pass without harming you." he said, "Until then, it is essential you rest." he fixed his amber gaze on her, "Kirby will need you now more than ever, since he's been injured." he said.

Fumu nodded, and silently walked down the hallways.

...

Hours passed, and Meta Knight found himself in the same situation he had a few days ago, the day he had discovered he had the Pestilence. He was reading galaxy maps, once again searching for a planet, any planet, that seemed to have as least to do with Gemstar as possible.

As he read over the parchment, he felt the ship suddenly lurch. A resounding _boom_ echoed outside, and Meta Knight quickly looked through the window.

A ship, half the size of the Halberd, was flying alongside them, and to the other side, an identical ship flanked them.

And they were trying to shoot them down.


	20. Chapter 20: Attack!

~Chapter 20~

"Shit. We just can't seem to get a break around here." Meta Knight muttered as he saw red-hot sparks fly from the Halberd as ammunition from the adversary ships collided with it. He grabbed ahold of the wheel and accelerated the ship. The ships behind him kept up a persistant pursuit. The lurching of the Halberd woke Kirby and Fumu, and the twosome, still tired, came running.

"What's happening?" Kirby demanded, and was answered wordlessly as another hot blast was delivered to the ship's flank.

"Great," Fumu groaned, and Kirby noticed how red her eyes looked from sleep deprivation, "Who wants to kill us now?"

"I am assuming Texico noticed our abscence, but how did they track us so quickly...?" Meta Knight said, and Kirby gasped,

"That part we used to fix the wing! Suppose it had a tracker or something in it?" he suggested. He and Fumu toppled sideways as another heavy blast issued to the Halberd, making the floor jerk under their feet.

"Maybe, maybe not. What matters now it that we get away from them before we are destroyed." the knight replied, and jerked the wheel suddenly, making the ship kneel over hard enough for the teens to slide into the wall. Fumu grabbed Kirby's paw, and for a split second shared another long eye-to-eye stare.

The moment quickly ended as a huge blast hit the battleship, and this time spark rained from the lights in the ceiling. The traid ducked, and found themselves in total darkness.

"The power..." Fumu murmured, looking frightened. She flinched as the ship recieved another blow that practically turned it sideways.

"Kirby!" Meta Knight said sharply, "Get to the cannons, and see if you can bring them down. But don't take risks." he warned, and his apprentice nodded and charged off. Fumu took a shuddering breath,

"What do I do?" she asked. Meta Knight gave her a sideways glance,

"Stay down, and hold on." he said, and Fumu shook her head,

"I'm not helpless, you know. I could raise a few firearms too!" she insisted, "Look, I know you're worried about me but..." she was cut off as the ship violently rocked sideways, and Fumu was sent flying. She shrieked briefly as she felt nothing but rushing air, and grunted painfully as her body smashed against the wall. She went limp, her eyes fluttering shut. She barely heard Meta Knight call her name urgently before the world went black and spun away.

...

Kirby gripped the cannon with his small pink paws, uncertainy weaving through him. But he steeled his courage determindly, and let the ammo fly from his weapon. At first, the bullets shot uselessly through space, and Kirby glared at it through the window. Gritting his teeth, he fired off again, cringing as the ship's floor bucked under him. The sharp sound of a bullet on metal indicated that he had hit one of the enemy ships.

The ship practically flipped over as a mammoth blow from one the Texico vehicles hit. Kirby flew back, hitting the wall behind him. Momentarily stunned, he heard his mentor shout out to Fumu. Alarm laced through his viens, and the pink warrior was dashing down the hallways at record speed.

The Halberd was creaking loudly, and the acrid stench of burnt metal weaved into the air, hurting Kirby's lungs, but he accelerated his pace until he found Meta Knight, one paw on the steering wheel, the other one awkwardly holding Fumu. Kirby noticed her eyes were shut and her body was unmoving, "What happened?" he demanded,

"She was knocked out by the last hit." he replied without looking at him, "Kirby, take her and get somewhere safe for now. I'll have to find a place to land."

Kirby accepted Fumu's unconscious form, and blinked, "Where are those Texico bastards?" he asked. The knight's gaze flickered out the windshield, which was partly obscured with smoke,

"I think you downed one, Kirby, and the other must have retreated." he replied, "But the ship's going down. I need you and Fumu to take cover. It'll be a rough landing." he said.

Kirby nodded, and half-dragged, half-carried Fumu toward a room, where he and her crowded beneath the bedside table. Kirby tried unsuccessfully to rouse Fumu from her unconsciousness, but to no avail. Kirby felt something wet and sticky on one paw, and drew it away to see a splotch of blood that had come from Fumu's head. Alarmed, he saw the back of her head was bleeding from where it struck the metal wall. No doubt she must have a concussion, Kirby thought worredly. Silently, he creeped out from under the table, snatched a towel from the drawer, and wrapped it taut around Fumu's head in a makeshift bandage.

He gathered her close, "You'll be okay, Fumu." he promised. He felt the ship hitch in its suffering, and huddled close to his unconscious friend.

...

For quite a while, or a few minutes, Fumu and Kirby hid underneath the table, Fumu still unwaking. Suddenly, the ship shook hard, as if it was expieriencing its own earthquake, and tipped over sharply, violently, sending Kirby and Fumu, still in Kirby's short arms, tumbling out from their shelter and into the halls.

The ship was falling now, Kirby could tell, and the room he had previously hid in was now above him, as the Halberd began to sink through the air sideways.

Kirby suddenly flared his wings, and pulled Fumu as close as he could to him, shielding her with his five-foot tawny wings. He caught a dark flash in the hallway, and saw his mentor standing by him. The knight's mask was scratched and even fractured, and Kirby saw blood dripping down his arm, where something had slashed it in the impact, "Kirby, are you alright?" he asked urgently.

The pink puff shuddered slightly. He was already pretty badly injured from the incident in Texico labs, and the tumbling around the ship was jostling his wounds painfully, but his sole concern was on Fumu. Lying, he nodded, and asked, "What's going on?"

The swordsman sighed, almost sounding mournful, "The ship's going down..." he murmured, and suddenly the sharp wail of electrical static ripped the air. The ship was shaking beneath their feet, and distant cracks and bangings sounded. Meta Knight gasped, and his own wings flared out, "Get down!" he ordered, and Kirby felt a dark wing fall over him protectively. He felt the ship hitch and saw a burst of harsh light from around his mentor's bat wing, and heard an ear-shattering _bang!_

He saw nothing more as the Halberd exploded mid-air.


	21. Chapter 21: Waking Up

~Chapter 21~

Kirby saw nothing still, but felt a horrible pain all over. So agonizing, so grievious that it made his breathing erratic. He shuddered, and coughed lightly, feeling dust inside his mouth. His wings were still out, but one ached terribly, and felt shattered. He could not move, and for a moment thought he was about to go into the Transition again.

But as he recalled, he should not be hurting this bad if he were in the Transition. Relief tempered his pain, knowing he wasn't dead. But for how much longer? He groaned, a dry, raspy sound.

To his surprise, another voice replied, "Shhh," it said, "Don't speak." Kirby tried to open his eyes, but as he did, they stung as if something like sand were in them. He shut them again, and fidgeted slightly. He felt a small paw on his back, between the wings, stroking him gently. The gesture he found comforting, and relaxed visibly. Then he felt something cold at his mouth. He opened it very slowly, and something icy and soothing poured down his throat. It was water, cool and sweet and pleasant on his sore throat.

Kirby felt his unknown nurse's paws travel onto his hurt wing, and he flinched as it grabbed the wing midway, and another paw took ahold of his shoulder. He felt pain and a strange sensation and heard a sharp clicking sound. Suddenly, the fire in his wing receded noticably, and Kirby assumed whoever this was just set his wing bone. As he woke up, he felt something soft beneath his body, and the coolness of shadows dappling him. The air felt cool, yet dry, and he heard a distant sound of running water, like a river.

"You'll be okay." the voice said again, and Kirby identified it as a female, "Just don't move." she said, and Kirby heard her footsteps fading away, as if she was walking away. Again, the pink warrior struggled open his eyes, and he was first greeted with a blurry night. Blinking focus into his vision, he saw it was indeed night, and overhead soared a hut roof, made of broad, dark leaves woven together. It plunged the small enclosure into a cool shadow. Letting his gaze wander, the Star Warrior saw a large opening directly in front of him, framed by flexible branches and twigs. Around him were vases and pots of something pugent-scented, and he saw water pooled in the corner of the room.

He heard footsteps again, and stilled, sensing the air of the unknown lady who was taking care of him, "Okay, this will sting a little..." she murmured in a soft voice that Kirby's mind bristle as if alarmed. Why, though, was this lady's voice making him feel...he didn't have a word for the feeling. He flinched as something dripped into a slash on the back of his head, making it shriek in pain. In a moment, it ceded, and left the wound feeling better than before.

Somehow, Kirby felt he was sensing something growing from him toward this mysterious person. Was it, perhaps a bond? Trust? Kirby blinked, something in him clicked. He trusted, almost intinctively, this person. And why, he wasn't sure. An alarm seemed to be going off in his head, as if trying to get him to remember or realize something, but he couldn't quite grasp it. All he knew was that his instincts were telling him to trust.

But his mind reminded him the last time he trusted a stranger, he was nearly killed by her.

Kirby shut his eyes, shutting down all thoughts and feelings, and let the luxury of sleep wash over him.

...

Fumu blinked her eyes open, and saw a vast night sky overhead. She raised her head slowly, and was punished with a sharp pain. Sharper than the rest of the pains that was lacing her body. She felt as if her form had been crushed and beaten, and any and every movement would sting her with pain. It did, and Fumu let herself lie on the ground, her vision beginning to unfocus. She dragged memories from her mind's bank, trying to summon a recollection of the events that led up to this, but all she remembered were loud sounds, and a feeling of fear and alarm.

Something terrible had happened, she was sure.

Her friends' names came to her head, and attempted to call them, but it came out weak and wheezing. She inhaled a few times, coughing on the dust that was swirling around, and called again, "M-Meta Knight...! Kirby...? Where are y-you?"

A voice answered her call, and with relief, recognized the knight's voice, "Fumu!"

For a moment, Fumu lay on the ground, waiting for him to come over, but nothing happened. She heard his voice again, and recognized the strain in it, "Fumu?"

She pushed herself to her feet, a bit too hastily, and staggered, her vision blurred by her monstrous headache. She stumbled toward Meta Knight's voice, the night and ground smudging into one. She finally happened upon the swordsman, who was also on the ground. He didn't appear to be moving. As Fumu let herself still and calm, the scene came into view.

A vast expanse of sandy ground stretched all around, unstemmed by one tree or bush. Fumu catalouged this place as a desert, and recognized scattered chunks of charred metal laying all around, some still flaming or sending up smoke.

She looked down, and realized Meta Knight's wing was pinned under a large metal piece that was once part of the Halberd. Steadying herself, she threw her body against the metal, and used her already depleated strength to try and move the metal off of the wing, but to no avail. She stared miserably down at Meta Knight, "Sorry..." she breathed.

Meta Knight blinked, and sighed, "Don't worry, Fumu. Are you alright?" he asked in a weak voice. Fumu ran her eyes inconspicuosly over her body, seeing how it was covered in burns and bruises, and nodded,

"I'm good." she was lying through her teeth. She hurt like hell.

"Where's Kirby?" the knight asked for his apprentice, and Fumu quickly scanned the area, seeing no bright pink or gold that could distinguish Kirby in the night. She shook her head, shrugging,

"Not sure...hang on," she said, and tried again to move the scrap metal off of Meta Knight's wing. This time, she felt it budge very slightly.

"Hold on," Meta Knight said, and while Fumu held the heavy piece for an agonizing second, she heard the knight shifting through the sand. Finally, the metal slipped from her hands, but to her relief, Meta Knight had freed himself.

"You okay?" she asked, looking him over. A large fracture split down from where the opening was on his mask, and his cape was torn and burnt at the edges. Burns and cuts laced his body, and Fumu could see how much they hurt as he struggled to stand. She realized that the wing that he had just pulled out from under the metal was torn quite badly.

Meta Knight sighed, "Barely." he said, "But right now, we need to find Kirby."

"Wait," Fumu asked, "What happened?"

The knight looked at her, and replied softly, "We were being pursued by Texico. You were knocked out by the impact of a ship's firepower." he said, "Then, they managed to disable the ship completely. I was about to take you all and abandon ship, but with no warning, the Halberd..." he stopped, and gazed around the desert. Fumu felt her heart twist in pity.

"And Kirby is missing?" Fumu asked, Meta Knight nodded grimly,

"Apparently so...we will have to find him quickly, though." he said. Fumu nodded, and followed the knight. Her body was shrieking in pain with every movement, but Fumu told it to shut the hell up. Right now, Kirby could possibly be under one of these broken-up scrapmetals, his life ebbing away, too weak to cry out...Fumu willed her pace to hasten.

But, as she tried to follow faster, her boy felt strangely heavy, as if it was reluctant to keep going. She felt herself struggling against herself as she tried to keep moving. Meta Knight noticed her problem, "Fumu, are you alright?" he asked, turning around.

Fumu nodded, but felt her mind going strangely blank, and suddenly images of Kirby and the recent incidents dissolved. Her vision whirled in front of her eyes, making the desert rotate incontrollably around her. She felt so disorientated, she let her body go numb and fall. She dimly heard Meta Knight's voice as the world continued to spin around. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see it, but her head continued to swim as if she actually was spinning.

She felt Meta Knight's paws on her shoulders, "Fumu, answer me! Are you okay?" he demanded.

But by now, Fumu was not even sure who was speaking anymore, or to whom...


	22. Chapter 22: Memories

~Chapter 22~

Meta Knight sheltered with Fumu behind a piece of the Halberd, in the lee of the wind. The knight felt his skin prickle with worry, and near horror. Fumu had collapsed, and now that he had checked her over, he found that the Pestilence she had been carrying had finally struck. Only instead of coughing blood, she was simply inanimate, and would not open her eyes.

Meta Knight leaned toward her, "Fumu. Can you hear me?" he asked softly.

Fumu flinched, and with her eyes still sealed shut, replied groggily, "Who's...speaking...?"

The swordsman felt dread creeping into him, and realized this was one of the rare side effects of the disease. Fumu was forgetting him, and everything she knew.

"It's Meta Knight." he replied, "Fumu, we crash-landed, and we're looking for Kirby. Can you remember?"

Fumu groaned, and Meta Knight saw tears slipping down her face, "It hurts..." she cried softly. Meta Knight touched her arm gently, in consolation,

"What hurts, Fumu?" he asked.

Fumu sniffed, "Everything..." she murmured, "Tell mom I want to sleep in..."

Meta Knight sighed, "Fumu, your mom's not here. It's just me..."

Fumu didn't reply, but tears continued to flow rapidly down her heatened face.

...

Kirby lay in a void of blank sleep for hours, or possibly just minutes. No dreams came to him, no foreboding warnings or foreshadowing events...just blissful, empty sleep. Kirby's mysterious caretaker had done well in easing his pain and healing his wounds, and still he felt a constant liking toward this person. Although his mind battled his intincts whether he should really trust her or not, the mutual feeling was gratitude for her care.

Finally, Kirby had enough strength to open his eyes fully, freed from the sandy feeling in them, and very carefully rolled onto his good-wing side, keeping his broken wing lying over him gently, and intook the image that was the mysterious lady.

To his surprise, she was looking straight at him, as if she had been expecting him to move. Kirby blinked, and saw this lass was a puffball creature like himself. Her skin was hot pink, her feet red, and her cheek blushes white. She had what appeared to be a tuft of fur on the top of her head, and on either side abov her ear area were two white, wing-shaped features. Her eyelashes were long, and the eyes themselves were a startlingly bright blue. Pale blue, and the way she was looking at him sent chills through Kirby. It was as if she was staring right through him.

Kirby blinked, and nodded, a nervous smile on his face, "Uhm...hello." he said hesitantly. The puffball blinked her pale eyes and smiled warmly,

"You're awake." she said in her calming, serene voice. Kirby nodded slightly,

"Uh, yeah." he said, "What...what happened?" he asked, rolling back onto his belly. The puffball paced up next to him, and put her gentle paw between his wings, making him relax in a strange way. When most strangers tried to touch him, Kirby would usually resort to violence, but this paticular gesture made him peacefull, and he was not sure why,

"I heard the explosion of a great ship." she said softly, "and found you near my home. I..." she paused suddenly, and when Kirby stared at her to continue, she nodded briskly, "I took you in. You were injured badly." she said.

"Who are you?" Kirby asked slowly, and then added suddenly, "What's with your eyes?"

The female blinked, and he saw her eyes fix on him eerily, "My name is Stella." she said, "And I cannot see."

Kirby blinked, his heart resonating in sympathy, for some reason. He had never met someone blind before, "You're blind?" he asked, slightly increadulous. Stella blinked, and her gaze drifted away from him,

"No, I'm not blind." she said, "I just cannot see."

Kirby tilted his head, "But, that's what blind is, isn't it?" he asked. Stella paced a few feet away from him, and appeared to be staring out the exit toward the horizon,

"Not nessasarily." she replied, "Being blind is not the same as not being able to see..." Kirby heard her chuckle a little, "But in this case, yes, I am blind."

Kirby frowed, "I'm sorry...but, were you always blind?" She hesitated, and Kirby added hastily, "Y-you don't have to tell..."

Stella shook her head, and turned back to Kirby. Her eyes gazed unfocused over his head, "No need to worry, young one. And no, I lost my sight in a battle, a long time ago..." her sightless gaze seemed to darken, as if in saddness, and Kirby regretted being nosy. It seems as if he triggered a bad memory. Some way to show gratitude to someone who saved your life.

"Sorry," Kirby said, "I didn't mean to..."

Stella held up a paw, "Don't apologize. It is natural to be curious. I admire your curiousity, actually." she smiled, "You remind me of someone I once knew..."

"Huh?" Kirby asked, hoping he wasn't delving too much into Stella's business. After all, she hadn't asked him any questions about himself.

Stella made a weak smile, "M-my firstborn..." she murmured quietly, "He was so curious as well, but he covered it so well. He was quite fiesty too, and just..." her voice broke, and Kirby saw tears in her pale eyes, "I miss him..."

Kirby made an attempt to push himself up, but Stella's suddenly staring at him forced him back into his bedding. She may have a voice like a summer breeze, but her gaze felt like a winter zephyr sting. Kirby looked down, embarressed, "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring back any bad memories." he said in a small voice.

Stella didn't reply, but simply paced over to him and rubbed him between his wings again, unprovoked. Kirby sank into the bedding, relishing the gesture, and for a second felt like he was being comforted, while Stella was the one experiencing sad nostalgia. It made him feel a little guilty.

Yet questions nagged him. Who was Stella's firstborn? What did she mean when she had said she had been in battle? Why was Stella caring for him, and how the heck did she know about Kirby's favorite place to be scratched? It was strange, and Kirby again wondered why he was feeling such curiousity. He certainly didn't act this nosy around Kinara, so what about Stella was interesting him?

"It's okay, little one." she murmured, as if sensing his thoughts, "We can talk. It will make me feel better. It always does."

Kirby sighed, not sure whether or not to take her up on this offer to chat about her past. He still felt like a nuisance for raining a storm of questions on this person he had not met more than ten minutes ago, and still felt strange about why he trusted her instinctively.

"Um...what do you mean, you were in battle?" Kirby began, "You said that was when you lost your sight."

Stella smiled, "Yes, I was once a soldier, long ago. Apart of the GSA, if you can believe that." she said.

Kirby blinked, "GSA? You were a Star Warrior?" he inquired. Stella nodded,

"Yes, I was. I retired early when an accident in battle took my eyesight. I can't quite remember though, but it was after..." she paused, and ceased stroking Kirby between the wings. Kirby looked at her gently,

"What...after what?" he pressed gently, and wondered if he should just shut up.

Stella sighed, "After my second child was born. I lost my sight." she said.

"You had kids?" Kirby whispered. Stella nodded again,

"Yes, two sons. They were..." she paused, and stifled a sob, "...the most perfect sons...I could ever...but..."

Kirby gently put his paw on Stella's for comfort. She gave no sign she noticed. Kirby didn't press, for Stella had begun to explain further...

_****Flashback****_

The Star Warrior and new mother Stella was fighting alongside her oldest son in the midst of battle. Wielding her scimitar, she and her boy fought side-by-side, undefeated after countless fights against Nightmare's army. An unbeatable team they were, until...

"Mom!" cried the voice of her little boy.

Stella's senses went into a frenzy, and she spotted her son bravely standing his ground against a large, insect-looking monster that cornered him against a mound of boulders. The puffball boy was holding his sword out in front of him, wings flared defiantly as he threatened the monster to come close.

Stella let out a battle screech and hurled herself at the insect, her scimitar carving persistantly into its armor. It howled a blood-curdling cry and swung its head, dislodging the pink female from her prey. Then it switched its target from Stella's son to Stella herself. The last thing she remembered was a steaming stream flying for her face, and the horrified cry of her son.

...

Later, Stella had regained consciousness in the infirmary, and found out her eyes were damaged by the demon beast that nearly killed her son. The physicians had told her they were too late, and the venom had caused her permanent blindness. Stella didn't care, for she wanted to know about her son, "Where is he? Is he hurt?" she demanded.

The doctors reassured her, "Not to worry. He killed the demon beast that hurt you." one said.

"Yes," the other agreed, "He is a credit to the GSA..." but his voice sounded guarded, and Stella glared a sightless glare,

"Stop it." she growled, and the physicians looked at her in surprise,

"What?"

"Stop that. You know he can't help it. He didn't choose to..."

She was cut off, when another Star Warrior rushed in, blood spattered and eyes wild with panic, "The demon beasts!" he gasped, "They're breaking the defenses! They're heading for camp!"

Stella and her doctors gasped as one. _No..._ Her other son, still a newborn, could never survive the onslaught that would soon take place. She wasn't even sure if her oldest could survive. She shut her now sightless eyes, and a tear fell down her cheek.

_For their sakes...I must let them go..._ she thought, and suddenly broke down in a terrible saddness.

_****End Flashback****_

"You gave away your sons?" Kirby asked, disbelievingly. Stella nodded slowly, still portraying some of the grief she had felt all those centuries ago,

"Yes. But, it didn't..." she faultered, but steadied her breathing and continued, "I managed to get my newborn into a vessel, and set it into space, where he would sleep for centuries and eventually land, old enough to take care of himself...but my oldest..."

Kirby blinked, and urged her on, "Your oldest...?"

Stella nodded, and Kirby spotted a tear just barely forming under one of her eyes, "He was so young too...but before I could get him away, the demon beasts kidnapped him back..." she murmured, and Kirby found himself holding her paw gently, in consolation,

"I...am sorry." he said, and then realization clicked in his mind, "What do you mean by, 'kidnapped him back'?" he asked. Stella looked at him dully, and replied,

"Because...I was once kidnapped by Nightmare's army, shortly before I joined the GSA. I was expecting my firstborn at the time, and when he was born...Nightmare influenced him, manipulated him, and...tried to kill me without my son ever knowing me..."

Kirby stared at her, "W-what...? How could they?" he asked, rage growing inside him.

Stella sighed, "They wanted someone young, easy to control...I watched him murder demon beasts, and eventually be known by the title 'Son of Nightmare.' He wasn't Nightmare's son...he was stolen by Nightmare...from me. "

Kirby blinked, and a sudden question popped from his mouth, before he could fully think it through, "What were your sons' names?"

Stella sniffed, "My sons...? It's been so long, but I could never forget them..." she murmured, and fixed her blind gaze on the pink warrior, "My sons were Meta and Kirby...and I miss them dearly..."

_Hailfire Vulpes: Oh YES I did! If you don't like where this is going...keep it to yourself. Thank you, and goodnight. PEACE._


	23. Chapter 23: Realization

\

~Chapter 23~

Kirby's eyes went considerably wide for someone shocked. He was silent for a few moments, and in that awkward yet short time, Stella seemed to have sensed it, "What's wrong?" she asked, turning in his direction.

Kirby breathed in a few times to steady his voice, in case it shook, and replied, "Y-you had two kids named Meta and Kirby...?"

Stella nodded, "Yes..." she confirmed, "Those two were just..."

Kirby interrupted her, "B-but I'm Kirby!" he cried. Stella whirled on him, her pale eyes wide,

"What? You're Kirby?" she gasped, and Kirby sat up, finding out his body was trembling. What if this was just a coincidence? But it couldn't be, Kirby knew. As he studied himself mentally and compared it to Stella, he could find resemblence in both of them. And there was the fact that Kirby had been "born" in a starship upon crashing into Popstar. Stella had claimed to have done the same thing to her Kirby!

Kirby nodded, forgetting for a moment that Stella couldn't see him. Slowly, the older puffball crept toward Kirby, her paws extended. Kirby held completely still, and felt his supposed mother's paws land on his shoulders gently. Her sightless eyes blankly bore into him, and Kirby tried not to shiver in discomfort. She drew closer, bringing Kirby's body closer to hers in a hug. Kirby found himself speechless, a rare occasion in his life.

He felt Stella's body twitch against his as a sob overtook her, "It's been so many years...you're so much bigger..." she was murmuring. Kirby somehow found his own person choking up with emotion, "But...my little boy is still there..." she whispered, and hugged him close.

Kirby returned it, feeling a sudden peacefulness spread over him warmly. A feeling of acceptance, completion...and he willed himself not to cry. At the same time, he realized how strange this was. Sometimes, the young warrior had wondered if he ever had parents, and sometimes spent his nights staring at the moon from his house, envisioning what he thought his mother would look like, and what she was. And yet...here he was, rescued by his own mother without either of them realizing it at first. And then, Kirby wondered bitterly if this really just was a coincidence, a mistake. After all, Stella was blind. How could she know for sure Kirby was her son?

But somehow, something deep down told him he was whole again. His instincts that had so persistantly urged him to trust this retired warrior now glowed in acceptance. Even his frequently-doubtful mind was subjected to this trust, and somehow just knew Stella was the mom he missed in his life. He felt tears heat his face as they surfaced to his eyes. He forced them down.

He wanted to show his long-lost mother how strong he was.

Stella had soon recovered herself, and was gazing blindly though proudly at the son she thought was gone forever, "Kirby...you don't know how much I've missed you." she murmured, "Everyday, I would sit here alone, wondering about you and your brother, and if I'd make the right choice. Sometimes, I wonder I'd never see you again...and I begin to regret sending you away..." she stopped, her voice growing whispery and laden with tears, "Kirby...please forgive me...I had to do what was best for you..." she pleaded.

Kirby smiled, knowing he could not bring himself to feel negative toward the mother he thought never existed. He edged toward her, and wrapped his small arms around her, "Don't worry." he said forgivingly, which was quite a statement for the young Star Warrior, given how he was known not to forgive easily. Stella let out a shuddering sob,

"Th-thank you, Kirby..." she murmured. Then Kirby remembered,

"Ste-I mean, mom, you said I had a brother named Meta." he said, Stella nodded,

"Yes, he was known for his wings in the GSA." she said in a small voice, "Such dark, yet graceful bat wings...the mark of Nightmare, and the trait that kept others in suspicion of him." she made a fist, "Why do you ask?"

Kirby smiled suddenly, a thought emerging in his head. He tried to keep an excited giggle at bay, "Mom, I think I know where we can find him." he said, his voice barely concealing his excitement.

Stella stared at him, "Y-you do?" she stammered, "But he was..."

"Maybe he escaped." Kirby continued, "I know this, because I didn't crash here alone. I had two people with me. My friend Fumu, and my mentor Meta Knight."

At the mention of the knight's name, Stella covered her mouth, tears spilling from her pale eyes, "He...he's alive...? My sons are...still alive...?" she murmured, barely containing her joy at Kirby's relevation,

"Yes, I believe so." Kirby said softly, his heart warming from how happy his mom looked, as she found out her sons had reunited and had come here.

Meanwhile, Kirby paced over his own thoughts. He still felt a bit subdued from this revalation himself, and he ran over the information in his head silently.

One: This lady who had rescued him was a retired GSA soldier, who claimed to have given up her children.

Two: These kids had the names, "Kirby and Meta." Kirby recalled how Kinara, back at Texico, the feathery traitor had constantly referred to Meta Knight as just "Meta." How he had been "the son of Nightmare," and Stella also claims the same.

Three: He and Meta Knight apparently were kin.

Kirby blinked, and felt his entire world suddenly thrown out of balance. He...and his mentor...were related? They were brothers, and niether had known it throughout the years they had spent together. Then Kirby blinked. Could his mentor-his brother-be so young at that time he would not have remembered Kirby as a brother, or did he know all along, and just never told?

Kirby felt his head spinning in the whirlwind of new information that had just fallen upon him. For now, he wanted to find Meta Knight and Fumu, wherever they were.

Sudden alarm pricked him. What if they were injured, and dying as they speak?

Kirby stood up, somewhat unsteady, "Ste-mom, we have to find my friends!" he said urgently. Even though he was thrilled all over at the prospect of meeting his mother at last, he still felt strange to call her "mom" when they had barely met an hour ago, "They could be hurt and dying right now!" he added, and Stella sprang up,

"Kirby, are you sure you can manage this?" she asked, "Your wounds aren't fully healed."

Kirby shook his head, "I can do this. We need to find Meta Knight and Fumu." Stella nodded, and was out the door. Kirby thought that he would have to help guide his blind mum across these desert plains, but she seemed to know the landscape as well as Kirby had known Cappy Town.

Kirby wished his wing wasn't broken, and that he could jut fly up and scout out the crash scene for any signs of his missing friends. Part of him wanted to show his mother how smoothly he could glide on those golden wings, but the sensible part of him kicked himself. Now was not the time to show off.

Stella was among the broken up pieces of the Halberd, standing completely still. Kirby tipped his head, and opened his mouth to ask what she was doing. Before any noise could escape him, Stella silenced him with a gesture. After a few moments, she had changed direction and was weaving among the scrapmetal confidently, "I needed to listen for any sounds that could indicate your friends." she explained, and Kirby nodded, understanding. He had heard blind people had impeccable sensibilities.

"There! I can here voices." Stella announced, waving toward a heap of charred steel that may have once been a wing. Kirby blinked, admiring his mother's use of alternate senses, and envied her ability. He couldn't hear any voices.

She and Kirby began pushing through the scrap metal and Kirby, feeling optomistic, called out, "Meta Knight! Fumu! I'm coming!"

...

Meta Knight was staring down at Fumu miserably, "Can you remember Kirby? Or Cappy Town?" he asked again. Fumu didn't give any signs she recognized anything, and groaned in pain. She rolled onto her side, tears spilling down her face,

"It hurts." she murmured, "It all...hurts."

Meta Knight grabbed her hand, "You'll be alright, Fumu. I promise I will get help for you. We'll find Kirby, and we'll stop the pain."

Fumu whimpered, and seemed to curl up. She pulled her hand away from Meta Knight's paw, "I want to go home..." she whimpered, "Strange people...are saying things...to me..."

Meta Knight's eyes faded from amber to a luminescent blue out of misery. Fumu was so confused, and so ill, and he had promised her care, when he had nothing to go on. Kirby was still gone, and he didn't know where they were. He sighed softly. Was this the end of their running...? Would Fumu die here, and Kirby be lost? The knight felt so miserable, so helpless to aid his friends...he was supposed to be the one to look out for them.

Now, they were probably all going to die.

He thought that, until he caught a faint sound carried by the wind. Blinking, he turned around, and waited.

Nothing.

Meta Knight sighed, and sat down beside Fumu, uselessly stroking her hair to bring consolation to the distressed damsel.

Then he heard it again.

This time, when he turned his head, he heard it a third time, clearer and unmistakably the voice of...Kirby!

"Kirby!" he called back, "We're over here!"


	24. Chapter 24: Resurrection

~Chapter 24~

Meta Knight stepped back as Kirby and Stella rounded the huge piece of metal and came face-to-face with them. Immediately, Kirby's gaze fell on Fumu, who lay unmoving on the ground.

"Fumu!" he cried, and rushed forward, picking her head up to face him. Fumu's eyes still didn't open, and Kirby felt a cold dread prickling his skin, "Fumu?" he said gently, "Are you okay?"

Fumu did not respond, but shivered in his arms. Kirby looked up despairingly, and turned to Meta Knight for answers. The knight sighed,

"It's the Pestilence, Kirby." He said slowly, "She is loosing her memory…"

Kirby stared at him in shock, and then gently shook Fumu, "No! Nononono….Fumu, no. You're not…you're not dying, you hear me?" he said. His blue gaze raked over everyone in misery, "Fumu, you can't just die on me, you know? You saved me…you can't do this…" he whispered, and held her close.

Stella approached them, and laid a paw over Kirby's shoulder, "The Pestilence, you say?" she asked slowly. Kirby nodded slowly, and looked up at his mom,

"We picked it up when we were leaving Popstar," he explained dully, "It nearly killed Meta Knight, and I don't know how Fumu will survive it…"

When Kirby had mentioned Meta Knight's near-death experience, she gasped, and stared at her supposed other son in dismay. Meta Knight blinked quizzically, and looked at Kirby, "Who's this?" he asked.

Kirby seemed to perk back up a little, and suddenly wondered how Meta Knight would react to finding out that Stella was his and Kirby's mother. Taking a deep breath, he looked from Stella to Meta Knight and replied, "Meta Knight…this is Stella, she says she's our-"

"Our mother, I know." Meta Knight finished, to the two puffs' surprise. Kirby blinked, and looked at Stella, who wore a look of genuine confusion,

"B-but…how did…?" she began. Meta Knight approached her, and Kirby thought he saw the amber in his eyes begin to shift to blue,

"I could never forget you..." he murmured, "Even when Nightmare had tried to corrupt me, I would never forget your face…" he sighed, "Nor Kirby's…"

Kirby blinked, "Wait, you knew…you knew we were brothers?" he asked, incredulous, "Why…why didn't you tell me…?"

Meta Knight stared miserably at the young warrior whom he had personally mentored and guided throughout his life. It was true he knew Kirby, from the moment he had first seen him, was his long-lost baby brother. HHHHHHHHHhhhe had never confided this secret in others, and somehow felt a reluctance to tell Kirby of their heritage.

So Kirby grew up, never knowing that his kin was closer than he could ever had imagined, and Meta Knight now felt remorse and regret for keeping this all to himself for so many years. Kirby probably felt betrayed, since he had spent so many nights feeling the hollow loneliness that came with the bitter knowledge that you had no kin…when the information was right in front of him…

The swordsman was not sure why he had felt refusal to reveal Kirby's heritage sooner, or at all, for that matter. Perhaps it was because the revelation would cause more pain. Until now, Meta Knight had always assumed Stella to be dead. A retired Star Warrior, blinded, was doubted to survive. Perhaps if he had been direct at first, and told Kirby his mother was a Star Warrior, but dead, what good could have come of it? Kirby would only be aware that his mother was a warrior, and that she was dead. It would not relieve the empty grief…

And as for Meta Knight being his older brother…for some reason he just wanted to avoid telling Kirby that altogether. He was not sure why, but perhaps that information would have been useless to Kirby too. After all, why have just a brother when you could have a mother?

Sighing, Meta Knight wished he had words to explain his reasons for hiding Kirby's heritage, but before he could reply, Stella stepped in,

"Probably, Kirby, because it may not have changed anything." She echoed his thoughts, "What is the use of knowing you had a mother, Kirby, and knowing she was dead? You wouldn't feel any different, right?"

Kirby had tears shining in his eyes, "B-but you are alive…" he murmured sadly. Stella nodded, and Meta Knight said,

"Yes, but I did not know this until now." He said. Kirby turned his gaze away from him, staring at the ground,

"At least you could have told me…that she was real…" he whispered, "You could have…" It just didn't seem fair that Kirby go through a life, never knowing a thing about his family, when someone close by knew it the whole time and would never tell him, "At least I would have known she was a mother to be proud of, even if she had died. And you could have told me we were brothers…why didn't you…?"

Once again, Stella intervened. She frowned, "Kirby, I am right here, real as day, and here you are talking on as if I were just a rumor." She said, "Kirby, listen to me, sometimes…" she sighed, finding difficulty in finding her words, "Sometimes…it is just better to let things remain secret. Perhaps Meta…er, Meta Knight truly believed you would only feel the same, without knowing if I lived or not. So do not be mad, Kirby." She paced up to him, and pulled him close, "What matters now is that you know, and nothing else. And besides," she added urgently, "Doesn't your friend need attention?"

Kirby blinked, jolted back into his dreadful alarm, "Oh….right! Uhh, I just…" A sweat broke out on his forehead, and Stella reassuringly stroked Kirby between the wings again,

"Do not fret, Kirby. There is a way to save her." She said. This time, the puffball brothers rounded on their mom, willing her to say more. Stella smiled, as if she were dealing with a patient afflicted nothing more than a simple cold, "Yes, but it is difficult. And hard to explain…it was said that when two sacred weapons were created, they came with the ability to dispel and destroy malicious energy with the simple glint of their metal…these two weapons were swords, Galaxia and Andromeda." She said slowly, "Only with these weapons united can dispel the Pestilence forever."

Kirby and Meta Knight exchanged glances, "But mom," Kirby said, "We already have Galaxia…" While Kirby revealed this, Meta Knight stepped forward and withdrew the sacred sword. The blade sparked to life in a flurry of thunderbolts, and Kirby suddenly remembered Stella could not see it.

But Stella was in awe, "That sound…the sound of the blade manifesting in a storm of thunder…there's no mistaking that that is Galaxia…" she murmured softly, "But I never thought that the sword would choose…" she turned her blind gaze on her firstborn, and Kirby thought she saw pride glinting in them.

Kirby coughed lightly, "And what about Andromeda?" he inquired. Stella blinked, and turned in his direction,

"Andromeda? It has been lost, apparently, after so many centuries of being hidden. Some say it still floats about in the Ether Space, awaiting its chosen one…"

Kirby blinked, "Ether Space? How do we get it out of there?" he asked.

Stella shook her head, "I cannot say, but it has been assumed the sword will reveal itself when the chosen one is near." She informed, and Kirby sighed,

"Do you know if the chosen one dreams frequently about it?" he asked, and he and Meta Knight looked at each other again, "I won't stop dreaming about a cave with a red sword…"

Stella stared at him, "Very, very possible…like your brother, you may be destined to wield the counterpart…" she sighed, "We do not have the time now to chat idly, I am afraid. We must bring your friend to my home, and I will see if I can ease her suffering. We shall discuss more later…" she said. Her sons nodded, and began to carry Fumu across the desert, following Stella.

…

"Is it awake?"

"Is it dead?"

"Does it live?"

Struggling open his eyes, he stared into a monstrously bright light than made a fire as hot as the fire he could produce burn intensely within his skull.

"…It's awake! The resurrection was a success…"

It? They were referring to _him _as an it? He wanted to loose a fireball then and there to show his disapproval, but his strength felt depleted to its lowest levels, not to mention the fact he was strapped down. Growling faintly, he let himself be subjected to their insulting references of them, and listened as they delved into his past, his abilities, his strengths and weaknesses and improvements.

It had felt like he had been sleeping in a void for so long, a dark, numbing void, and the sudden exposure to light was hurting him physically, but it was simply something that would wear off. Yes, he would be new, better than ever, and sworn to redeem himself…

"…So, Kinara is dead…" one of the scientists murmured, "A shame, a crying shame that is. She was truly the commanding aura of Texico, was she not?

"Indeed. That traitor to Nightmare…I'm sure he was the cause of Kinara's murder."

"Well, that won't be a problem now, will it? We have…a new Prodigy." He felt the three scientists talking about him turn their gazes on him, "Meta is incorruptible, let's face it. We can capture him over and over, and he would rather die than return to being the heir to Nightmare. So, screw it, what's the point of trying anymore. Now, the last part of the job is to punish him. What is the best punishment for treason?"

He heard them laughing, as if it was funny. He scowled. He saw nothing funny in this matter. He was about to receive a mission, a mission from these loathsome scientists that he would only agree to fulfill because it involved the death of one he hated most bitterly. Meta, or Meta Knight, as he had last heard it.

And this time, Wolfwrath swore he would not fail.

_Hailfire Vulpes: _Yes_, I am adding Wolfwrath to the party. Yay! And yes, I will be using the English name because it is a lot more epic than Chilidog._

_Also, I have decided the story will be about thirty or so chapters long. Thanks for reading. ;D_


	25. Chapter 25: Kirby's Dreamscape

~Chapter 25~

_"So...Andormeda. You said it was hidden in the Ether Space?"_

_"Yes."_

_"But what exactly is the Ether Space? How do we get to it?"_

_Stella sighed, and shook her head, "It is a place that no one could ever hope to get to. You see, Andromeda was hidden away many many centuries ago. No one today knows how to access the Ether Space, a place hidden in the very threads of the universe."_

_Kirby tilted his head, "But surely someone wrote it down, or something? They wouldn't just seal off a sacred sword and forget how to recover it, right?"_

_Stella blinked, "Yes, but suppose those who know are lost as well. They must have thought it would be best if Andromeda remain hidden away, to avoid being stolen."_

_Kirby sighed, "But...if Adromeda and Galaxia can dispel darkness and stuff, why keep it hidden? It could have finished Nightmare off a long time ago!"_

_Stella shrugged, "Remember Adromeda chooses its wielder. No one can handle that sword except its chosen one."_

_"Oh, right."_

_"Yes, and perhaps you are destined to be that wielder."_

_Kirby seemed to fade a bit, "That sounds like a little much. And besides, knowing I'm its chosen one doesn't make it come out of its hiding space."_

_"Maybe..." Stella said. Kirby leaned toward her, _

_"What?"_

_"Hm...nothing. Nothing at all."_

_"But..."_

_..._

The conversation that had taken place earlier that night ran faintly through Kirby's dream. He was once again in a void, and Kirby hoped he'd find Adromeda in his dreams again. Maybe it would hint as to how he could claim the sword.

So the young warrior waited in the nothingness, boredom wracking his mind as still no red light appeared in the blackness.

"God...this is boring." he muttered. The dream rippled in response, but he ignored it. _Great, at the time I needed a dream about that freaking sword, and it doesn't come! _He glowered at nothing, and wondered this boring exursion of blank dreamscape would end.

And finally, his voice was answered.

A faint trickle of light resonated from the corner of Kirby's eye, and as he turned in that direction, he saw it.

Clear as day, more vivid than his previous encounters, glowing with the light of a hundred dawns and as red as the spring rose...

Andromeda.

It hovered a few feet from the awe-struck puffball, its radiance seeming to sing. Cautiously, Kirby approached, raising a paw slowly as if any sudden movements would shatter the dreamscape. For all he knew, it could.

_Damn, don't let this dream end, don't let it blank out on meee..._he thought desperately as his small pink paw neared the hilt.

He could even _feel_ the light, like a hot yet cool touch through the air onto his skin, comfortingly smooth as a sun-warmed petal of a rose. He felt his paw just barely graze the hilt.

No rippling, no flickering, the dream remained as Kirby's paw firmly gripped onto the hilt.

He held the red sword in hand for a moment, and a blinding light shot off the blade into the space above. A red light traveled up his arm and tinged his body in ruby, outlining his person in its approving radiance.

Then the light receded, as quickly and soundly as it came, and Kirby suddenly fell forward.

Andromeda, still in paw, unbalanced his body now that it had assumed weight. Kirby sighed loudly, and struggled to lift the sword back up again. Man, it was heavy!

Kirby gritted his teeth, and managed to lift the blade for a moment before it dropped again. Kirby felt a frustrated anguish in his head. How the hell was he supposed to use this thing if he couldn't even hold it upright? Growling, he let go of the hilt and sat down in the void of his dream, staring poisonously at nothing.

"Well, at least I touched it without it fading or smacking me upside the head this time." he mused in a sort of sour, positive way. He looked at Andromeda, which was still laying beside him, and attempted to pick it back up again. Surprisingly, this time it was a bit lighter. He could actually hold the whole thing up a few inches without dropping it.

Exitement and exhileration poured into his viens suddenly, and Kirby swung the weapon in a wide, red arc in front of him. The movement made him feel energized.

Through the void, he swung the sword, parried invisible shots, and found with growing satisfaction the sword was becoming easier to manage. _This is more like it. _he thought.

Taking a breath, Kirby decided to attempt a Sword Beam. The pink warrior leapt upward, swinging the sword over his head, and then downward in a brilliantly shining arc. It traveled down, leaving swirling flames in its wake. Kirby landed on his feet, still supporting Andromeda, and felt his amazement turn to sour fear as the Sword Beam shredded through the fabric of his dream.

Literally shredded.

The red crescent of power and light tore open a gash in the void, revealing a dark route beyond it that crackled with electricity. Kirby blinked, stole a glance at his sword, and suddenly felt his fear turn to terror as a sudden gale picked up, sucking at his body and pulling him toward the void's wound.

"Awaaah!" He screamed, and felt his feet fly out from under him. He flipped midair, and flailed his paws, trying to get a grip on something, but the void would not offer him any handholds.

Kirby shut his eyes as the tear swallowed him.

...

...

...

He opened his eyes, expecting to be in some sort of alternate dimension, and instead found himself staring at the leafy roof of his mother's shelter. Sitting up, he took a few breaths to steady himself.

_Okay, okay..._he thought, recalling the dream with surprising accuracy, _...First, there was Andromeda, then I broke the dream world, and nearly got sucked into the Twilight Zone. Right? _He still felt a bit traumatized from his dream, and was a little relieved to find it was over. Although, he remembered with some disappointment that he had finally made contact with Andromeda, and how vividly realistic it had been.

Sighing, he let himself fall back down into the bedding, and shut his eyes despite his unwillingness to sleep again.

"Kirby?"

Immeadiately his eyes shot open. He turned his head, and his eyes met with Fumu's, shockingly enough.

His blonde friend was still lying down, a few feet from him. Kirby blinked, and pushed himself back up, "You're awake?" he asked.

Fumu nodded and sat up as well, looking surprisingly normal, "Yeah. I don't know what happened though...Kirby?"

"We're in my mum's house. Mine and Meta Knight's to be specific." he said, and felt Fumu's confused and surprised gaze rake him over,

"Your mom's...?"

"Anyway," Kirby interrupted, "What are you doing awake? You had the Pestilence, but..."

"But..." Fumu said, "I don't know how but...I feel great." she said, standing up as if to prove it. She winced as she gained her feet, "I mean, I'm sore and all but...I don't feel sick...are you sure?"

Kirby blinked, and felt his gaze wander. Stella was curled up in her own bedding, barely visible in the predawn light. His mentor-or brother- was also asleep. Kirby sighed increaduously, "Either my mom has some epic medicine, or something paranormal is going on." he said.

Fumu paced up to him, "Kirby..." she said seriously, and Kirby saw her gaze fix onto something behind him, "What is that?"

"What is wha..." he broke off, turning around and what he saw made his heart skip a beat.

There it was, leaning against the wall behind his bed.

Andromeda.

...

The scientists had finally taken Wolfwrath from the Lab, and stuck him down someplace worse.

The freaking midget ship. Good god, Wolfwrath would be rampaging this little ship's interior if they hadn't tussed him up, muzzled him, and if he wasn't still sedated. These bozos seemed to have gone out of their way to incapacitate the "new Prodigy" as well as they could. Wolfwrath felt like a Wolfapillar all tied up like this.

But soon it would all be worth it. Wolfwrath vowed this in his smarter, advanced mind. His masters, though he loathed them, he felt himself admiring them for bringing him back and setting him with a job he knew he would lust in. It had been too long since he bloodied his claws.

Hours passed, each one making his fur spike more with discomfort as the sedation began to fade. Once it was gone, Wolfwrath felt increasingly jumpy, and that if he'd to lay here bound-up much longer, he'd rampage. But before his nerves could completely give way to a deranged panic attack, the whirring of the midget ship's engines slowed, and the wolf demon felt it descending altitudes.

"Alright." said the driver, "This is the planet where the signal was lost. I assume they are here somewhere. Wolfwrath," he turned a bit, looking the giant magenta demon in his blank red eyes, "Time for you to shine. Find the traitor and his allies, and do what you please. Judging by your newly enhanced statistics, by this time in two days, we'll have a new favorite." he said, paused and hardened his gaze, "Granted you don't screw up, of course."

Wolfwrath snarled. Failure was not possible for him. Had these damned people forgotten that?


	26. Chapter 26: Plans, Good and Bad

~Chapter 26~

"How...did that get there...?" Kirby stammered, his facial expression an unmistakable combination of "wtf" and "omg."

Fumu as well, her gaze darted from the sword to Kirby and back to the sword, "I...don't know. I only just noticed it." she said softly.

"What's going on?"

The teens turned to see the knight, awakened, appoaching them with his person wrapped up in his cape. Immeadiately, his amber gaze was fixtated on the red sword, "How did...?"

"Not sure." Kirby said, shaking his head, "I just..."

"Kirby? Meta Knight? What is it?" Who should join the party now, but Stella as well. The dawn sun trickled through the shelter's patchwork structure, illuminating Andromeda like a blazing rose. The threesome exchanged glances. Stella just let her unfocused gaze wander onto the sword's general location, "Andromeda!" she cried, in a mixture of wonder and confusion. She faced Kirby, "How did this come to be here?"

Kirby shrugged, "Don't know." he said, and looked at his mother, "Do you have any idea?"

Stella sighed, "Maybe. What exactly happened, Kirby?"

Kirby nodded, and while his friends' gazes locked onto him hungrily, he explained, "I was dreaming, and it was floating there. In my past dreams, whenever I touched it, the dream would fade. Now, I was actually able to hold it and swing it around a little." he smiled proudly for a second, and Stella nodded,

"Go on. I think I know what's coming." she said.

Kirby nodded, "Well, I tried a Sword Beam..."

Stella seemed to perk up.

"And," he continued, "It ripped open my dream...I think, and sucked me in. I woke up here, and the sword just appeared right there..." he finished, pointing at the sacred weapon. Everyone looked at Stella, who appeared to be deep in thought. Finally, she nodded and looked up,

"Yes, indeed. Though I still don't know how, Kirby managed to access the Ether Space." she said. Kirby stared at her, and she went on, "His dream world must have collided with the Ether Space, and Adromeda, this time most severly to the point that the actual sword was transferred to him, rather than the dreamscape's illusion. And when Kirby wielded Andromeda and tore open the collided dream and Ether Space, he had created a wormhole luckily leading him to wakefullness. If he had slashed the wrong space, he could have very well been lost."

Kirby sweatdropped, "It's always good to wake up and not be in a parallel dimension..." he mused. Fumu smiled,

"And...Adromeda suddenly appearing in the vicinity of Galaxia...must have dispelled my Pestilence, right?" she inquired. Stella nodded, and suddenly appeared excited,

"Yes! That is right! We have both swords, which means you can go home to Popstar!" she said, and suddenly seemed to deflate a bit, "If only...I could be with you..."

"But can't you, er...mom?" Meta Knight asked, looking awkward to calling Stella "mom".

Stella sighed, and shook her head, "Nothing." she said, "What matters now is that we figure out how to get to Popstar."

"But," Kirby intervened, "How exactly do we get rid of the Pestilence on Popstar?"

Stella suddenly smiled, and Kirby caught a flash of longing in her sightless eyes, as if she were wishing something, "The Twin Sword Beam" she said, "Together, with Galaxia of thunder and Andromeda of flames, can create the ultimate weapon with enough force to banish an entire galaxy's malice." she said slowly, and nodded, "You must both be in the atmosphere, nearing the planet, and you must be very brave. Then, the Sword Beams you create shall merge into a being of thunder and fire, and travel the land, purging it of the impurities of Nightmare's creations once and for all..."

Kirby and Meta Knight exchanged glances, "Sounds good..." Kirby muttered, and turned his head a bit to look at his wings. One was folded neatly against his spine, while the other was still draped in the "wing sling" as Stella called it, "But I am damaged. As all of us are." he informed.

Stella nodded in understanding, "It is no use plunging headfirst into danger in that condition. We shall remain here a few days, heal up, and then plot on our course of action." she said. Her sons and Fumu nodded in agreement.

"But there is one thing." Meta Knight said, "When we cure Popstar..." he looked gravely at Fumu and Kirby, "We cannot still live there."

Fumu gasped, "Wha? Why not?" she said, and Kirby mirrored her shock. Even Stella looked a little taken aback.

"All we can do for Popstar and Dreamland is to end its suffering under the Pestilence. We cannot ressurect the people who have been lost, nor can we heal the internal scars of such a traumatizing event for any survivors, if any." he explained. Fumu sighed, hanging her head,

"You're...right..." she said slowly, and scratched her head, "Though...it's funny but I can't quite remember...it's coming back in pieces but...is Popstar completely unsustainable?" she asked.

Meta Knight sighed, "Yes. We can no longer live on Popstar." he said grimly.

Fumu closed her eyes miserably, and Kirby comforted her by grabbing her hand gently, "It'll be okay, Fumu." he said softly.

...

Wolfwrath couldn't be more relieved to feel his paws, now under his control, touch the sand underfoot, which felt smooth against his pawpads which had always felt the hardness of a lab floor. He smirked a toothy smirk, and lifted his muzzle to the sky as the ship he arrived in began to ascend, and finally disappeared into the atmosphere. _Good riddance, midget ship._ he thought venemously, and began his excursion.

Wolfwrath sensed his smell had been altered in his ressurrection, as he could catch the faintest scent of smoke from over ten miles away, give or take.

What else about him had been fixed? After the drugs and such had worn off, the magenta wolf demon felt a new strength pulsing through his viens, and a thirstier longing for blood. His fur felt thicker, his skin tougher, and his bloodlust stronger, most of all.

Yes, he wanted nothing more than that poor excuse for a blueberry warrior's blood on his paws, in his mouth and pouring down his throat. The mere thought of such a kill intoxicated him, making his paws itch to run across this barren wasteland of a desert to seek him out. Meta must be destroyed. That was all Wolfwrath lived for and wanted.

So his pace quickened among the sandy dunes, his paws refusing to yield to the sand that wanted to slow his pace. His muzzle was in the air, keeping his path synced to that of the smoke scent he smelled. Soon, very soon he would find his prey, and be rid of him...

It was his life, his purpose, all he wanted to live for...to kill Meta. Wolfwrath didn't care if he died the moment his bloodlust was satisfied. He just wanted Meta to be wiped from existence forever.


	27. Chapter 27: Reflection

~Chapter 27~

Wolfwrath let the sun roll overhead, smothering him in heat, but he absorbed every searing second of it. How he loved the heat, the feel of heat on his fur, the taste of heat in blood. It strengthened his resolve and he continued on, feeling the blissful energy fill his viens.

...

One time since he was left here, the sun had run across the sky and was replaced with a silver orb he recalled was the moon. Now the moon shed its cold yet warming beams on his pelt, making Wolfwrath feel drowsy. He growled at himself. He was not allowed to sleep, to rest. He must give full priority to his mission. He eased himself in speed, feeling his paws skim over the sand in his haste. Wolfwrath would be rid of Meta soon, given how far he had traveled in one day, and how far he would travel tonight.

Tommorrow afternoon, that was when the scientists would track him down and find his mission successful. He only had a few precious hours left, and he needed every second of the day and night to track down his prey.

The planet's moon lolled through the star-studded sky overhead, and with each stride it made Wolfwrath felt an unnatural tiredness sucking at his limbs and mind. His canter slowed down, and finally halted, leaving the wolf demon to stand absently in the sand, feeling the numbing want of sleep drag at his mind. _No rest. Must kill. _He demanded, but his body had other ideas and sank into the sand.

The sand below felt between pleasurable and soothing, after it being roasted in the merciless sun's heat, then left to cool in the moon's kind light. It cradled the wolf demon like something he wasn't sure of. He growled at himself, an angered screech making its way into his voice. _No sleep! _He thought, and let a fireball loose in frustration. It collided with the ground a few feet away, and Wolfwrath watched as it ignited the soothing, silky sand, and bloomed into a glowing sunflower before his pupiless golden eyes. He hefted himself up, and promptly threw himself into his own fire, feeling its energizing sear rejuevinate his motives.

The wolf demon ate up his own flames, and was on his way again, feeling more awakened, but reckless. When he had passed through an oasis, he nearly collided with the crystal surface of a pond. Hissing his demonic hiss, he glared blankly at the water, instinctual dislike welling up inside him. How he hated water. It stole away his powers and wieghed his agile body down, and extinguished the life heat that fueled his heartbeat and bloodlust, two essentials he could not live without.

And yet, despite his hatred toward the pond, he found his paws guiding him was there to see?

He blinked, realizing he could actually _see_ the water. Not just a blue smudge in his vision, which he had known originally to be heat vision. He could see every outline, every ripple in the waves, and looking around, he catalouged every vien and seam in every broad desert plant that loomed over him and shrouded this place in tender shadows. Drawing closer to the water's edge, he saw another demon beast in the pond, staring him down.

Wolfwrath barred his teeth, and the creature in the pond did so as well. He identified this creature as his own species. A great big magenta wolf, a glistening orb in its head, pupiless golden eyes, a thick mane, and spikes all along its backside. But upon closer examination, Wolfwrath saw this creature had a black line across its chest, standing out against its fur. The scar stretched across the chest and down the stomach, up the throat and directly through the middle of its face, where it became faint. But the chest was what caught his attention. A small black X marked the center of its chest.

Wolfwrath blinked, and flattened his ears. Whatever this thing was, if it proved a threat, he would kill it, no questions asked. But after a few movements, the wolf demon realized that the pond monster was mimicing his actions with surprising speed, almost simotaneous to his own.

Then he realized it was him.

Wolfwrath realized the monster was him, a picture of him in the water. Backing away, as though frightened, the wolf monster retreated behind a tree, where he allowed himself the luxury of sitting down and taking the wieght off of his paws. He looked down at himself, his muzzle flat to his chest, and saw the straight black scar that seemed to half his body. He blinked, and a hazy memory weaved into his head,

_So much pain and weakness. Wolfwrath flailed more out of desperation than anger and rage as his assailants wrestled with him in the lake. Steam was flying up and billowing all around, shrouding his vision in a misty white. The lake water was gushing and spattering his body, covering it in scars and gouges, as if the water was corrosive to his body. The pain was weadging itself in the depths of his body, and the wolf demon knew deep down that struggling was futile. They were to finish him off._

_He looked up to see the blinding wedge of light and power gliding through the sky toward him. He shot a weakened fireball at it vainly, watching in dismay as it was sliced through easily. _

_Then there was whiteness, utter, complete whiteness. A searing sensation tingling his body, then nothing at all. The white had gone to black._

Wolfwrath blew through his muzzle in a rough sigh. He recalled the memory. His death. Kirby, the name of his killer...the one who he could have easily slaughtered, and the one who had interfered with his plans to destroy Meta. And there the scene was, replaying in his ears and eyes as he saw himself die at the paws of his mortal enemy's apprentice...

_Wolfwrath is the jewel of the crown that is Nightmare Enterprises. The knight in the chess game of this war, and the one destined for greatness. Who needs heroism, when you could have respect, dignity, and hold power over slaves and the low-lifes that slink about in this town? That was all Wolfwrath wanted...until she came along..._

_She was a bystander, a passerby, a useless outsider who could easily be eliminated on Nightmare's orders, but no! He took her in, and the miserable thing spawned what would soon become the downfall of Wolfwrath's dominince..._

_Meta he was called, and later "Meta the Prodigy." Wolfwrath would stand among the filth and worthless creatures he had once held power over, and watch the child initiate admittedly beautiful murders and kills. Wolfwrath could see nothing new and better than him in this child, so why had they rejected him?_

_Later, Meta had a turn of heart. He escaped with his mother from Nightmare, vowing never to turn back to the army of darkness again. Even in Meta's absence, the others failed to recognize Wolfwrath as the Prodigy again. All that was on their tongues was disappointment and anger over the traitorous warrior. They obsessed, and Wolfwrath sunk to the shadows._

_Finally, they sent him out for a job worthy of his skills. Eliminate a Star Warrior. Easy enough, especially given the target was a mere toddler! But his old nemesis had to interfere. Although Wolfwrath was sure his fang had dealt the knight in, he was the one to meet his death at the paws of the infant! An infant, of all killers._

Wolfwrath was ashamed, and angered at himself. He breathed in, and was shocked to feel it shudder its way in. What was it? And why did his eyes sting? What was happening to him? Why did a certain area on the inside of his chest begin to pain a little? Wolfwrath felt something cool and liquid pull from his eye, and slide down his furry cheek. In irritation, he shook it away. What was with him tonight?

Fed up with these strange occurances in his body, he stood up and began to charge across the desert again, the dry winds blowing his eyes dry. But the more he kept running, the worse he felt. The wolf demon could not take it, and let his body fall into the sand. A piteous whimper escaped him, and he barred his teeth. Such weak behavior he should not resort to exposing. This was something lesser creatures did, this eye watering and whimpering, and he was not lesser. He was greater, a demon beast of highest respects, even greater since his revival.

Yet...something about that was strange. Wolfwrath felt his paws pull into his body, and touch his chest. Startled, he felt his chest move very slightly. He held his paws closer, and felt the rhythmnic movements.

Something was pulsing, beating in his chest that was not there before, and not supposed to be there...

_H.V" Arrgh, boring angsty chapter. :P It'll get interested in the next one. Promise._


	28. Chapter 28: The Showdown

~Chapter 28~

Another day and night passed, and Kirby had shown his friends and mother in that time how well he could handle Andromeda. They were quite impressed.

"It's as if he was born to be swinging that thing around." Fumu commented. Meta Knight nodded,

"He probably was. As I was with Galaxia." he replied. Fumu nodded, and her expression fell,

"Meta Knight...if we can't go back to Popstar...where will we live?" she asked in a small voice.

"Why can't you stay here?" Stella swerved into their conversation, her sightless eyes staring though them like a lighthouse light through fog, "I certainly enjoy your company. It's been good to see my children again, and you are quite a charming young lasy, miss Fumu."

Meta Knight's gaze shifted toward his mother, "I'm not a child." he said, "I am fifty-thousand years old, thank you."

Stella snorted, "Come now, Meta. I'm two hundred thousand four hundred twenty-six years your elder. You and Kirby will always be my children." she said not unkindly. Meta Knight didn't respond, and Fumu gave an amused smile,

"So anyway, where are we gonna get a ship to get to Popstar?" she asked. Stella blinked, her unfocused eyes penetrating her form unnervingly,

"We'll have to salvage parts from the Halberd. It's the only material around here suitable, besides, of course, sand and rocks." she replied curtly.

Fumu sighed, "If we have to live here...how is this place?"

Stella looked at her, "There are no cities or towns on this planet, as far as I know. The perfect retreat for hermits and outcasts. No one asks questions, no one gives answers, save myself. You care for yourself, or risk your life with selflessness. That is how it is on Flightstar." she said.

Fumu blinked, "But what about you?" Stella sighed,

"I told you. I was a Star Warrior, and though I'm old I still keep my wits about me. It's my nature, I guess, to aid others. But I can still put up a decent fight if one decides to exploit my help." she said. Fumu nodded, noticed tension in the air around her. She turned her head and noticed Meta Knight had gone rigid.

"What's wrong?" she asked, and the knight didn't respond.

What was wrong? Something was setting his senses on hyper-alert, and his nerves bristled with alarming foreboding. His instincts were stirred up frantically, and his sub-conscious was running at fever pitch. His mind was in a full canter to catch up.

Something in him was trying to say something, no, to warn something, and Meta Knight found this nameless threat just mockingly out of his reach. He could not name what was bothering him, and he realized he was causing alarm and fear in Fumu. He turned to her, and knew he couldn't hide the truth, "Something's coming." he murmured. Stella's eyes went wide, the next one to catch up on what the swordsman was sensing,

"Oh dear god no..." she breathed, "It's the approach of..."

"WOLFWRATH!" Kirby screeched. The three whipped around to see the dark wolf demon himself in a full sprint approaching them from the distant horizon. Demonic screechy roars emitted from his jaws.

"Kirby! Hide!" Fumu shrieked.

Meta Knight felt his blood run cold. Wolfwrath...that cur...was still alive? Impossible...Kirby cut him in half with his own sword! How could anything survive a demise like such?

Then why was he back?

_Texico. _It was the only thing time allowed Meta Knight to blame, and the blue knight drew his sword. Kirby, clearly not going to take Fumu's side, jumped to his brother's side, holding up his flame-colored sword to the sun, where it struck off the blade and made red light dance around them.

"Kirby..." Meta Knight said. His little brother gave him a sideways glance,

"I'm fighting by your side..." he said, "There's no way that damn dog could have come back after what I've done to it. I want to see what kind of shit is up here."

There would be time to chastise Kirby's language later, Fumu decided, and felt Stella leading her toward her shelter, "But..." she began, and Stella had already pushed the blondie into her home before another protest was spoken.

...

Meta Knight and Kirby stood side-by-side, their sacred blades drawn and poised to strike, while Wolfwrath faced them, his face twisted in a look of everlasting hatred. This was his moment, his time to kill the one who ruined his reputation, and later his life. Now he was back from the grave, bloodlust as fresh as it had been the day he had been created.

For a moment, they stood glaring daggers at each other, until Wolfwrath made the first move. Leaping, he soared through the air toward them, fire gathering around his jaws. The puffballs split up, one at each of his flanks. He swerved toward the nearest puff, Kirby, and lunged at him. Kirby swung Andromeda at him, dangerously close to his face. Wolfwrath retaliated with a fireball, which hit the ground before Kirby with enough force to topple him backward.

Then Meta Knight pounced him. Wolfwrath twisted in his direction as he felt his nemesis's paw grip one of his back spikes, attempting the same schpeal he did all those years ago. Wolfwrath fell sideways, and swung his blunt paw at the knight, who parried it with Galaxia. It was enough for Meta Knight to weaken his grip, and with a powerful, explosive movement, sent the knight flying off of him.

No sooner had he dislodged his enemy was Kirby was upon him again, slamming the blade of the sword uselessly against the orb on his head. Before Wolfwrath could swipe him away, Meta Knight, with his wings unleashed, was against him again. The wolf demon screeched. It was too much.

Galaxia was slicing through his haunches, and Andromeda was banging into his head, making his skull rattle, but Wolfwrath continued to act defensively and struggle. Teeth extended, he aimed for Meta Knight again, trying to embed another fang in his body like he had done before, but Kirby had Andromeda slicing at his throat. Gasping, Wolfwrath undulated, trying almost desperately to shake off his opponents, who were spattering the sand with his blood. Not theirs. His...

Wolfwrath sent a shower of fire all around him, and heard Kirby grunt in pain, assuming he was hit. Exploiting the opportunity, he sent Kirby flying off of his body, and now focused his wrath on Meta Knight, who was swinging Galaxia in arcs through his fur and flesh, staining the golden tip red. Wolfwrath swiped his claws at the sword, parrying them to the best of his abilities, and let loose a flaming orb toward the blasted knight.

Meta Knight deflected the shot, sending Wolfwrath's own firepower to connect with his person with the same force he shot the orb at. The blow sent him to topple backward, balance steadily dropping. Then it came, almost.

Meta Knight swung Galaxia down his chest, right where the X was. Wolfwrath gave a trill of alarm and terror as the scar reopened, letting his life's blood to pour on through his body, and soaked his pelt. Jaws gaping, Wolfwrath lay on his back, one paw pressed into his chest. He could feel the pulses of the unknown part, much more clearer, and with alarm realized this was something he never had while in Nightmare's army, but with the scientists.

The blood seeped through his claws, and Wolfwrath continued to press his paws into the horrible wound. He stared at Meta Knight, golden eyes wide and starting to glaze over. The blue knight stood over him, and for some reason, Wolfwrath felt the urge to speak, something his had attempted to since his creature. He stared at Meta Knight,

"Something..." he gasped, much to Meta Knight's suprise, "they...they put something in me...it's not supposed to be...


	29. Chapter 29: Demon Beasts Don't Cry

_Hailfire Vulpes: Arrgh! Sorry for not updating for a while. Been busy, and sleepy. Yeah...the last chapter's ending may sound wierd because I was literally dozing off while writing it. DX_

_"Wolfwrath felt the urge to speak, something his had attempted to since his __creature.__" That was supposed to be __creation.__ Sorry._

_And yes, Wolfwrath gets to talk. Yay! And, I'm more awake tonight, so we shouldn't have a problem with this again. P.S: Open to questions and suggestions. Thanks!_

~Chapter 29~

Meta Knight stared in guarded curiousity and shock when the words had left Wolfwrath's muzzle. The words...they sounded like they shouldn't be called words, but intelligent sounds, since they sounded distorted, halfway between a screech and a growl.

The knight watched Wolfwrath's body still, bleeding continually into the sand, but his chest still heaved with the effort of breathing. What did he mean when he said there was something in him that wasn't supposed to be there?

He looked up, and saw Kirby getting to his feet, recovering from the daze he had earned from the fire he had taken. Meta Knight saw a brutal burn stretched along Kirby's side, darkening the pink skin noticably. His blushes were redder from the heat, and his movements were stiff and painful. His pondwater-blue eyes drifted toward Wolfwrath's bleeding form, and the knight saw a coldness and malice sweep into them like he had never seen in his apprentice's-brother's- eyes before.

Kirby's eyes lifted toward Meta Knight's, and he growled in a strained voice, "Let's finish him." He raised Andromeda.

As much as Meta Knight wanted to be rid of this scourge himself, something was drawing him back, making him reluctant to strike the suffering demon again. That same something also wanted Kirby not to strike him either. He didn't want the feeling that was coming to torment his better judgement, but it seeped into his conscious anyhow. Pity. Meta Knight was actually feeling sorry for Wolfwrath, his old enemy.

Kirby was about to stab his sword deep into Wolfwrath's wounded chest, when Meta Knight swept toward him, "Wait." he commanded, and Kirby shot him a bizarre look,

"Are you quite mad? This is, like,Wolfwrath? You know..." Stressed and burnt, Kirby's patience was draining, "He paralyzed you? Nearly killed us all? Remember...the stupid dog who I freaking _killed _but is back...?"

"Just wait..." Meta Knight said, and with the tip of Galaxia, moved Wolfwrath's limp paws away from the wound he had created. The demon's chest had a smooth tear in it, drizzling blood into his fur and onto the ground. The way the blood pulsed out...it was strange...undemon-like, so to speak.

Meta Knight wanted to explain his misgivings, but right now the something was telling him to stop the bleeding. Yes, save the demon who had tried on numerous occasions to kill him, and hated him with every fiber of his person, and can be trusted little more than the creepy guy in the black van...and yet...

Meta Knight turned to his brother, "Get Ste- er, mom. Tell her to bring medicine." he ordered. As he expected, Kirby didn't move,

"...No really...are you quite INSANE? This. Is. Wolfwrath! He's been trying to kill you until I did him in, and you want to fix him up when we could easily put the damn mutt out of his misery? Is the mask on too tight?" he spat, wincing slightly as his movements strained his burns.

Meta Knight's gaze hardened, "Kirby..." he hissed, the beginnings of a snarl in his voice. He was as banged-up as Kirby, and his sensible mind was screaming for Wolfwrath's blood, and still he couldn't kill him, "Do as I say." he finished, maintaining a level voice, though his eyes blazed with impatiance for his little brother.

Kirby still refused to move, and from behind him, Meta Knight saw his and Kirby's mother running up to them, and to his relief saw she carried supplies. Stella stopped next to Meta Knight, her eyes fixed on the horizon, "I heard..." she panted, and began spreading out her assortment of leaves and herbs, "You need...for who?" she asked.

Meta Knight sighed inwardly, wondering if his mother would fight him on his descision like Kirby, but heck, best to know for sure, "For Wolfwrath." he said neutrally, "There's a wound in his chest."

To his half-surprise, Stella didn't protest, but her doubt was portrayed in her eyes and movements as she edged warily toward the unconscious wolf demon. His ragged breathing raked in and out of his jaws rapidly, and with each painfull breath, blood pulsed from his chest, that Stella was now staunching with a large wad of cottony substance. The white material was turned red almost immeadiately, and Stella busied herself by making a natural, sterile poultice and to the best of her abilities, wrapping it around the wolf's body.

Kirby huffily said, "What has gotten into you two? Honestly!" he snorted, "I'd of scattered his entrails all over the valley by now." he was ignored, of course.

Stella blinked and stared over the swordsman's head, "We'll drag him back to the shelter." she said, and Meta Knight nodded, moving to Wolfwrath's other side. They ignored Kirby's disgruntled mutterings as they dragged the limp, heavy body toward Stella's home.

"Jeezum!" Kirby huffed, "What if he wakes up? And we're all alseep? He'll eat us, or kill us, or kidnap us, or god forbid, rape us, or..."

"Kirby," Meta Knight said, his voice strained as he struggled to support Wolfwrath's body, "Shut up."

...

The moon rose that night, and in the time between now and the the previous morning, it had been decided there be a guard to watch Wolfwrath. The wolf was weak, and would be doubted to put up a good fight, if he could raise a claw at all. Meta Knight was watching him tonight, and he found his eyes drifting to the scar that divided the demon's body in half, like the seam on a stuffed toy.

Then he recognized it. The result of Kirby's Sword Beam, all those years ago. Somehow...both parts of him had been patched together, but that didn't explain why he was even living.

Not sure of what compelled him, but the blue knight reached a paw forward, tentatively touching Wolfwrath's chest, where the X scar he had reopened was bandaged up, and was surprised to feel a beat. _Impossible... _he thought, and keeping his paw there, felt another beat. Another pulse of life. But how?

Demon beasts didn't have hearts. What kept them going was a dark aura that substituted a heart, a dark aura only one being in the universe could conjure. But Nightmare was dead, and that meant no more demon beasts. Not real ones. The dark aura was meant specifically to keep blood flowing through a demon's body, carry oxygen and such around the body, to usurp all of the practical jobs of a regular heart, but it lacked emotion. Demon beasts felt no emotion, barely thought for themselves, and never questioned an order, because of the dark aura that had assumed their judgement and feelings. Which was also a reason why Meta Knight was unable to be corrupted by Nightmare's malign power. His fake aura hearts couldn't posses or replace a real one, which made it impossible to completely turn Meta Knight.

_He can manipulate your mind with words but he can't control your heart._

Talk about corny. How many people are yawning now?

But it was true. Call its bluff or not, it was true. Nightmare was powerless over those who could feel for themselves.

Meta Knight looked at Wolfwrath, and whispered, "They gave you a heart." he said, "That is what is in you."

As if in response, the wolf demon's eyes opened. They looked hazy, and a jagged breath was drawn through his canines, "Heart..." he repeated weakly. Meta Knight did not flinch away from the wolf, nor draw his sword, but returned his stare coolly.

"Heart." Wolfwrath said again, a bit stronger, "Is that why...it hurts?"

Meta Knight paused, glancing back at the sleeping forms of his friends, and back to his downed enemy, "You have emotions now." he said, "You can feel."

Wolfwrath made a spitting sound, as if in disapproval or dismay, "Don't want. No feelings." he growled, and narrowed his eyes, "Why Meta helps me?"

"Why help you?" Meta Knight said, "What makes you think we are helping you? You could be bleeding to death in the sand still."

"Pain...but less." Wolfwrath said, "And house." The demon's lack of pupils made it a little hard to tell what he was looking at, "Why help?" he repeated.

Meta Knight didn't reply right away, but stole a glace at Adromeda, which was laying against the wall near Kirby's bed. He touched the hilt of Galaxia, which was still sheathed and looked back at Wolfwrath.

"Tell." the demon hissed feebly but venemously.

"Did Texico do this?" he asked, avoided Wolfwrath's question still, "Did they bring you back?"

The demon's eyes narrowed to golden slits, "Big white place. Lab, they called it." Wolfwrath replied, a sigh in each word, "They said they...make me better." he said, and suddenly barred his teeth, "Why help me, Meta?"

This time, Meta Knight did answer, "Because those Texico's are not only bastards but idiots as well. They gave you a heart, unknown that you could then feel and decide for yourself. A heart that no longer makes you a demon beast, but a creature with a chance." he said. The wolf made a huffing sound,

"Lies." he growled, "all lies." he shut his eyes, feeling them sting for some reason.

"See, Wolfwrath. You're crying. Demon beasts don't cry. They don't know saddness. But you are learning it, as well as other emotions..." he paused, and unsheathed Galaxia, laying it down near his own bed. It began to shimmer, ever so slightly, as did Andromeda, "And with a heart..." he said, "Even if the darkness that shrouds it is dense, it can be expelled. Good night, Wolfwrath." he said finally.

Wolfwrath heard no more, saw no more, and felt no more. Emotions and pain, gone.


	30. Chapter 30: Something's Different

~Chapter 30~

The silence felt good, the void of sleep was relaxing and blissful, ad Wolfwrath's pains seemed far behind him. He floated for a long while in this expanse of blackness, seeing nothing, hearing nothing except for his shallow breathing and the beatings of his strange new heart.

It felt like death, yet Wolfwrath sensed he was still among the living world. This space felt soothing, and yet the demon felt strange. As if some part of him were leaving. As if a fog inside of him was lifting, exposing him to a sheer light he had been blind to for a long time. But what was it? The feeling was very faint, but Wolfwrath knew something about him was changing, and would never be the same again.

...

_Just as I thought. _Meta Knight thought.

He and Kirby's swords had started resonating with one another shortly after Wolfwrath had lost consciousness again. Moments after that, Wolfwrath's body had begun shimmering faintly. The knight now watched over the wolf as the moon began to descend in the sky and give way to dawn. All during these hours, Wolfwrath had been lying very still, the rise and fall of his chest the only movement that indicated his life. As the dim light of dawn began to slant into the shelter through the roof and walls, the light of Wolfwrath's form began to fade, and slowly disppear, leaving the demon to sleep peacefully.

...

"Damnit!"

The humanoid punched his fist into the dashboard, setting off an array of beeps and alarms on the ship. He stared at his watch, and then pressed the intercome button on the ship's radio, "Texico, this is Striker 47, reporting that the subject has disappeared. I repeat: the subject has disappeared off of our radar."

"What?" came the shrieking reply, so loud the vibrations of the transmission rattled the interior of the ship, "What do you mean...he's dead? Our new Prodigy..."

"No..." replied the driver, "I don't have certain information that Wolfwrath is dead, but all we know is that his signal has stopped transmitting."

"What kind of tracking device did you use?"

"We chipped him sir." the driver said, "In the ribcage, near the heart."

"Heart...?" the voice sounded increadulous and strangled.

"Yes, we..."

"You idiots!" the words practically shook the ship like a gale and nearly made the driver fall out of his seat, "You used a heart? I was expecting some sort of mechanized blood circulator, but an actual heart? Are you kidding me?"

"N-no." the driver stammered, "We needed some form of life..."

"Shit...we've lost this one. Forget it, and come back." the speaker growled.

"But I want to at least investigate where we lost the demon's signal. There might be some hope." the driver objected. A loud, staticy sigh rippled through the transmitter,

"Fine. But I swear to god, if what happened what I think has happened, you're..."

The pilot cut the transmission, and banked the ship toward Flightstar, ascending toward the sandy planet.


	31. Chapter 31: A Change of Heart

~Chapter 31~

"Are any of these even remotely fixable?" Kirby asked nothing as he and the others sauntered about the desert, examining the remains of the Halberd to see if any of it could be recycled into a small ship for he and Meta Knight to go to Popstar. So far, nothing yielded useful, and hope was running low. Wolfwrath, they had decided, was too weak to be considered a threat at the moment, and was left on his own.

"What about this?" He heard Fumu say. He trotted up to her side, and saw she was standing by what appeared to be some fragment of an engine. The turbines were blowing like a rickety pinwheel in the sandy breeze, and the blades that were once silver were turned to a smoky black. Hs expression darkened,

"It looks like it's been chewed up badly. Not sure." Kirby replied. Fumu reached tentatively toward the weakly-whirring blades and spun them. They whirled a bit faster, and as if it could help, Kirby kicked it.

The engine piece roared as its turbine began whirring, but smoke was blasting from it. The two teens stumbled back fearfully as sparks flew from the machine and screeched dementedly. Kirby gasped and grabbed Fumu's hand, running over the sand as the piece suddenly exploded, sending smaller metal bits flying through the air. Fumu flinched as a hot shard nearly clipped her arm.

"That definately does not work." Kirby concluded. Fumu nodded with the universal, "no durr" look on her face. Their hands never let go of each other's though.

...

Wolfwrath felt the world seep back, slowly and indestinguishable at first, then with growing sharpness. He sucked air through his muzzle raggedly, and lifted his head. A nova of pain blasted the inside of his skull, but he ignored it. For now, he wanted to know what had happened to him.

The wolf looked down at himself, seeing the bandages that were wrapped around his body, and saw the dark blood splotch on his chest. Groaning, he pushed his body further up, into a sitting position. He blinked hazily and examined the room, which appeared to be some sort of floral hut. This was where the Star Warrior was staying. But the place was empty. They had left him unguarded.

Wolfwrath expected his first reaction to be lighting this place on fire, then using it to regenerate his power, but he didn't. He wasn't quite sure why, but something held him back. Something was dampening, smothering his urge to be destructive, like he always was. What was it?

Then he thought about Meta Knight, and his resolve, and that goal too, was fading. His urge to kill, why was it weakening? These feelings, this heart had made him into a weakling. _But you were beaten by Meta. He has a heart...why am I weakened, and why are these feelings tormenting me? _The wolf wondered.

He pondered it slowly, and a sudden warmth welled up inside when he realized Meta Knight had saved his life. He remembered seeing the swords last night, and now...something was definately different. The destiny of his, to kill Meta, the hatred he had nurtured for so long...was fading almost easily. What was erasing his bloodlust, his feelings of hate like sun on a misty forest? What could be so powerful to dispel years of hate and bloodlust in one night?

The swords.

It was all Wolfwrath had to blame. Andromeda and Galaxia together, the two halves of a whole, must have done this to him. Turned him soft. Made him

Forgive.

Wolfwrath sighed, a long, gusty sound through his muzzle. A fog in him had been lifted, and now...the wolf realized his purpose had lifted with it. Never fufilled, never to be fufilled...he was simply just a creature to serve no use in this world. He didn't want to go back to Texico, and their cruel experimentations, and he did not want to stay here. Wolfwrath felt as if he had plunged headfirst into water. A black, bottomless nothing that weighed him down, slowly smothering the life out of him...utterly helplessly lost...

Wolfwrath felt useless here, and wanted to banish himself from the unprovoked aid of his apparently former enemy. It wasn't like he was a guest here, anyway. They hated him, he was sure, and yet they showed him mercy...Wolfwrath felt a new emotion. Gratitude.

Wolfwrath was grateful.

...

"None of this stuff looks relatively in good enough shape to be flying around space..." Kirby sighed. He, Fumu, Meta Knight and Stella had all gathered together in the middle of the desert to discuss what to do.

"Those Texico goons really bashed the Halberd up good," Fumu added, Meta Knight nodded solemnly. She felt her skin prickle with dread. Did that mean Popstar would keep suffering until it was a dead planet? They would be trapped on Flightstar forever? Not to say the last one would be too terrible. Stella was quite hospitable.

"Maybe..." Stella began, but stopped mid-sentence. She froze, and her eyes widened at some unseen terror.

"Mom?" Kirby asked, prodding her worridly. She turned to him stiffly,

"Run!" she cried, and as she spoke, two long pincers broke the ground just behind her. Fumu shrieked and was running like the wind, followed closely by Kirby. Meta Knight had backed up, Galaxia drawn, and Stella was standing behind him,

"What is that?" Meta Knight demanded, and Stella's blind eyes blinked fearfully,

"Sand crawlers. They must have come out of hibernation early..." she murmured. The knight heard Kirby behind him,

"Come on!" he cried, and Meta Knight turned to his little brother,

"We can take them, Kirby." he called back, and looked at Stella, "You and Fumu get to safety."

Before Stella could react, Kirby and Fumu came running over. Kirby had Adromeda drawn, and Meta Knight turned to Fumu, "Get to the shelter." he ordered.

Fumu shook her head, "Can't..." she puffed, and the knight saw that another set of pincers were emerging from the sand where she and Kirby had been a moment before.

The pair of inscissors that had unearthed in front of them was rising toward the sky, measuring ten feet in height, and following it came a smaller head speckled with beady, blinking red eyes. Fumu whimpered, feeling her insides flutter at the sight of the giant insect.

After the head came a lank arm, carrying a heavy claw. Then the other, then a long, armored body. Finally, the tail, which arched over the back and tapered to a deadly, dripping point at the end. Kirby shuddered, idetifying this creature as some sort of giant scorpion.

It let out a blood-curdling screech as it neared its prey, pincers snapping hungrily. The second sand crawler began hurridly scampering across the sand, tail raised threateningly.

Meta Knight and Kirby stood back-to-back, the females between them protectively. Kirby swung Adromeda toward the insect that face him, singeing the air with the blade's firey power. The sand crawler raised a claw and swung it down at Kirby, nearly catching him. As the claw stuck for a second in the ground, Kirby lept and landed on the claw, sword over his head, and sliced at the arm that held it. Green plasma splattered the sand.

Meta Knight unleashed his wings, still a bit torn from the crash-landing, and flew jerkily into the sky. The wind rushed by his ear as the sand crawler's poisoned tail shot into the empty air next to him. He shot down swiftly, narrowly avoiding another blow, and sank Galaxia's blade into the base of the scorpion's tail. Something glittery and green welled up in the gash. The tail was violently lashing through the air, struggling to reach the knight on its back. Meta Knight took advantage of this weakness, and swiftly de-tailed the insect.

Kirby was splashed with green blood as his opponent lifted its arm, now missing its claw that Kirby had sliced off. Ignoring the disgusting stickiness of the plasma that coated his skin, Kirby lashed out, dealing a nasty blow to the creature's head. Blinded, the sand crawler continued to shriek and screech in agony and anger, "We got 'em!" Kirby called out triumphantly, but as he spoke, more pincers and claws emerged from the ground around them.

Kirby gaped as three more sand crawlers, small but fresh for battle, joined the fray, "Oh come ON!" he screamed in frustration, and quickly decapitated the sand crawler he currently fought before turning on another.

Meta Knight drove Galaxia's blade into the back of his opponent's head, killing it, but no sooner had he dealt in his scorpion when he heard a scream of horror from Fumu. Turning quickly, he saw one of the newly arrived sand crawlers held the terrified damsel in one claw, and was preparing to inject her with its poisoned tail.

"FUMU!" Kirby cried, and began stumbling over his own feet in his panicked haste. Before he could generate a fire-imbued Sword Beam, someone else's firepower shot from behind and blasted Fumu's tormentor in the claw that held her.

The creature let out a pained shriek, and dropped Fumu like a hot stone. Kirby raced to break her fall, but her invisible savior beat him to it. A shadow fell over the pink puff's body, and he saw a flash of fur fly over him.

"Wolfwrath!" Kirby shouted, expecting the demon beast to grab Fumu in his jaws to kill her, but to his surprise, the wolf caught her on his back, narrowly dodging an attack from the burnt sand crawler.

Stella turned to stare blindly at Wolfwrath, and Kirby drew in breath to call out a warning as Wolfwrath charged her. But again, shockingly enough, the wolf slowled as he neared her, and lowered his muzzle. Stella did not attempt to run or fight, but jumped as Wolfwrath came right up to her. She stepped on his head, landing on his back next to Fumu.

...

Wolfwrath felt his pained chest heaving with breaths, and his legs felt heavier, but he shrugged it off. Not even he knew what he was doing, but he sought to see this inent through. He felt the two females he sported fidget in his back fur, and still supporting their light weight, ran at the young Star Warrior Kirby. He saw the puffball's eyes darken with distrust, and Wolfwrath hoped he would not struggle. These bugs would kill him, and everyone, if he didn't get them to safety.

Instead of slowing, the wolf sped up as fast as he could, head down, ready to pitch the small warrior into the air and hopefully onto his back. Kirby held up Andromeda, ready to bring it down on Wolfwrath's head as he came in, but a sand crawler from behind lashed out at him. Kirby, distracted, turned to retaliate, and the wolf saw his chance. He felt his nose collide with Kirby's body, and he pushed the puffball into the air above him. Kirby flailed, and cursed and a soft thud on his backside indicated Kirby had landed. Now the wolf demon had to hope that the Star Warrior wouldn't perforate him with the sword while he ran.

Wolfwrath could hear the girls talking to Kirby, whose voice sounded rough with anger. Hoping they weren't planning to ambush him, Wolfwrath turned to Meta Knight, who had dismembered another scorpion as he flew. He raised his muzzle, "Meta!" he called, hoping he wouldn't feel a blade in his flesh in response.

...

Meta Knight looked down to see Wolfwrath, shockingly enough. The wolf was sporting his friends on his back, and appeared to be running toward him. Instincts screamed, "It's a trap!" but better judgement said, "Follow him." After all, Meta Knight had exposed the demon to Galaxia and Andromeda's darkness-purging powers. Angling his wings, the swordsman dodged another shot meant for him, and followed the retreating wolf across the sand.

The sand crawlers may have seemed fast, but in a chase, they could barely cover a few feet in a few seconds, unlike Wolfwrath. Eventually, their forms disappeared in the distance, but Wolfwrath hadn't stopped running until they were quite a ways away.

Meta Knight lighted down as Wolfwrath slowed, and finally stopped. The knight saw that his brother was looking angered and confused, and Stella and Fumu appeared to be holding him down. When the wolf had halted, they let go of the pink warrior, who sprang up immeadiately, brandishing Andromeda toward Wolfwrath, "Stupid mutt!" he spat, "What did you think you were trying to do?"

Wolfwrath faced him, unblinking, "Getting you to a safe place." he replied, keeping his deep voice neutral. Kirby gritted his teeth,

"Yeah, right. So you could finish us all in one fell swoop? I wasn't born yesterday, you know!" He pointed the blade of his sacred sword at the wolf's head, who almost flinched. Another blade parried it though. Kirby stared at Meta Knight in disbelief, "What are you doing?"

Meta Knight met his gaze evenly, "Wolfwrath was affected by the swords, Kirby." he said. Stella nodded, and jumped off of the former demon's back,

"It's true Kirby, when he appeared in the fray, I sensed a blank where his dark intentions once were. He must have resonated with the sacred swords coming together in his vicinity last night." she said slowly. Kirby stared from her to Meta Knight and to Wolfwrath, who did not move. Fumu slipped away from him and next to Kirby, looking daunted by the prescence of the giant wolf.

Kirby sighed, "Likely story." he muttered, and sheathed Andromeda. He kept a paw on its hilt, however.

Wolfwrath's jaws parted as he began to speak again, "I...am grateful." he said, and four surprised looks raked him over, "That you helped me."

"And we are grateful." Meta Knight said. Wolfwrath dipped his head, and began to back away, as if to leave, "Wait." the knight called, and he stopped, "Where are you going?"

Wolfwrath sighed, "Away." he replied quietly, "I have no purpose here. Not anymore."

Meta Knight, Stella, Kirby, and Fumu exchanged glances. It was Fumu who spoke, "Why don't you...come with us?" she offered softly. The wolf did not move.

For a moment, Fumu though Wolfwrath would reject her offer, but the giant wolf slowly turned around to face them. He sat down, sighing raggedly, "I once was blinded with bloodlust, and would have loved nothing more than to kill Star Warriors. My passion once was to get rid of Meta, but..." he paused, feeling pathetic, weak. He sensed mocking disbelief in his audience, but he continued anyway, "It felt like a fog has lifted. I am different...and yet it leaves me as shocked as you. Centuries of hatred...banished by the sacred swords." he faced Meta Knight, "P-please...forgive me, as I now forgive you..."

Silence.

Meta Knight stepped forward, "It was unintentional of Texico to give you a heart, Wolfwrath. It is because they are stupid, but upon recieving a heart Wolfwrath...you learned mercy, forgiveness, gratitude. The swords merely banished your bloodlust. You learned to feel, and I forgive you. And now that you have changed...we feel it will strengthen our forces if you side with us."

Wolfwrath blinked, and three of the four thought they saw the merest sparkle of a tear at the corner of Wolfwrath's eye. The wolf nodded, slowly, "It is heartening to know I can be useful again." he said, and looked straight at Meta Knight, "...Master."

"Master?"

Everyone (save for Stella) looked up, startled by the new voice. Sand and wind blew all around as a shape began to descend toward them. _Oh no..._ Kirby thought.

Texico was back.

The ship lighted on the ground, and a skinny humaniod creature stumbled out of the driver seat. In one hand, he held a dagger, and in the other a tazer, "Master?" he repeated, "Wolfwrath...don't you remember the promise we made to you? You are the new Prodigy. At least, you can be if you fufill your mission." he pointed at the Star Warriors, "See? Right there, sitting targets! This is an easy assignment for you, Wolfwrath."

Wolfwrath's gaze hardened, and he stared at the driver, unmoving.

The Texico worker, advanced toward the group, and pointed his dagger threateningly at Wolfwrath, "Kill them! Kill them, now, or I will be forced to..." he never finished, for at the moment, Wolfwrath leapt over our heroes and crashed into the pilot, cutting off his voice. Kirby watched, feeling his stomach turn sour as Wolfwrath's claws and fangs fell upon the worker, sending blood and tissue flying around him. The man's screams of horror and desperation reverberated throughout the air.

"Wolfwrath..." Fumu gasped, and covered her eyes as Wolfwrath began to extract a bone from the pilot's torn body. Kirby tried to force down his nausea as the wolf ripped an arm from the man's body, and turned around. His golden eyes were wide, his muzzle and paws bloody, and his tail was waving as if amused. The severed arm dangled in his jaws, and he dropped it in the sand,

"Take the ship." he said, nodding to the accursed midget ship that he had arrived in, "There's a tracking device in the ship's dashboard. You might want to kill it." On the word "kill," his tail ceased wagging. The four slowly weaved around the carcass and the bloody wolf toward the ship. Kirby was the last to board, and he faced Wolfwrath,

"Bloodlust not all gone?" he asked cautiously. Wolfwrath appeared to grin, but it came out strange,

"No. There's no use for my old Master. I was protecting my new Masters." he said, and touched Kirby's head with his nose, which felt cold and wet. Kirby half-smirked, and rubbed the wolf behind one ear,

"Good boy." he said softly, and followed his friends into the ship. But as he tried to push in, Stella and Fumu pushed out, leaving the ship with only he and Meta Knight inside. The females stood beside Wolfwrath. Kirby blinked, "You coming?" he asked.

Stella shook her head, "This is for you an Meta Knight to do. We'd only take up space." she said. Fumu nodded, and smiled, taking Kirby's paw,

"I know you can do it. Save Popstar, and come back safe. Okay?" she said.

Kirby smiled back, and sudden concern shadowed his eyes, "What about the sand crawlers?" he asked. Wolfwrath padded up behind the two ladies, nodding,

"I'll take them to an oasis I found a few nights ago." he offered, "Far away from them."

Normally, Kirby would have immeadiatly felt suspiscion, but now felt trust toward the new member of his team. Wolfwrath was redeemed, purified, so to speak. Fumu and Stella would be in good hands, er, paws.

Kirby stepped out of the ship, and took Fumu's other hand, "You'll be okay? You're sure?" he asked. Fumu grinned,

"Of course, Kirby. Now you be safe too. Watch out for Texico...and come back." she murmured. She sighed, and Kirby saw her face get close to his. His world spun rapidly as he felt her gentle kiss on his cheek. Blinking focus into his eyes, he looked into Fumu's forest-green irises. He pulled one paw free of her hand, and layed it over one of her shoulders, pulling her close and giving her his kiss. On the lips.

The kiss lasted for a few seconds, sparks flying between the two and filling each other with such a warm, strong passion, it was hard to part. Kirby pulled away, and Fumu pulled away, each of them drawing away. Kirby mounted the ship, and sighed, "I'll be back." he said, and the ship's door closed. Fumu, Stella, and Wolfwrath backed up and the ship began to ascend, sending dustdevils of sand flying around them.

Before long, the ship was a tiny speck in the sky.


	32. Chapter 32: Twin Sword Beam

~Chapter 32~

The desert planet of Flightstar grew farther and farther away, and Kirby felt small compared to the enormous task he would soon initiate. And he felt alone, without Fumu here.

Although part of him knew this job was relatively simple compared to his defeating of Nightmare those years ago, Kirby couldn't help feeling a bit of sorrow. He was saving a planet he once but no longer would know as home. Like his brother said, these people may be recovered physically, but not emotionally, mentally. It would still be unstable for them to live on Popstar.

Kirby sighed, and looked at his older brother piloting the tiny Texico ship through the vastness of space. Like Wolfwrath has suggested, Meta Knight had disabled the tracking device in the ship, and knowing that made it easier for Kirby to relax. But only a little.

Briefly, Kirby wondered how his life would be if the Pestilence had never come to Popstar. He would probably be living a relaxed life, lounging about, maybe play soccer with Bun...maybe forage for watermelons, maybe even train a little? But now that he had thought about it, the life sounded boring. Bland. Not to mention ignorant, since he would never have known that Stella, his mother, was a veteran Star Warrior and Meta Knight, his mentor, was his older brother. Not to say that the life he had lived and will live is fun, but he realized he was a person of adveture, action. It was the only thing that kept his senses sharp.

Brushing away his train of thought and turned to Meta Knight, "So what do we do?" he asked. The masked puffball gave him a sideways glance,

"Stella said we must create a Twin Sword Beam as we approach Popstar." he replied briefly, but too briefly.

"How do we do that, a Twin Sword Beam?" he asked.

Patient, Meta Knight replied, "She didn't say. I suppose we'll know when it is time."

"What if we don't?" Kirby pressed, "What if we kill ourselves?"

Meta Knight didn't reply.

"So we're practically condemning ourselves to death, then." Kirby huffed, and frustrated misery welled up. Why did everything crucial have to be vague?

The knight didn't look at him, but the hard edge to his voice indicated his patience to Kirby's complaints was thinning, "I guess we are, Kirby, since you seem to refuse to believe we have the ability." he snapped. Kirby fell silent, and felt the tensed atmosphere loosen a bit, "Nothing is certain, Kirby." Meta Knight said, "Nothing has been certain. We can only go on what information we have, and let belief and instinct take us the rest of the way. Information is certain, but restricting. Intuition is wavering, but free. I believe...Popstar will be saved." he said slowly.

Kirby nodded, and was silent.

...

"What do you mean, his tracking signal has died?"

The man stared down at the lady who was examining the big-screen that showed all of the signals of ships, and experiments. A vital pinpoint had just vanished,

"I mean, sir, that his signal, like Wolfwrath's, had disappeared." she replied firmly.

The man, apparent head of Texico sighed, and punched the wall in frustration, "Shit. What a dumbass he is. Giving that mongrel mutt a heart! I know exactly what's happened to him. And the dog, too."

The lady blinked, "What sir?"

The man sighed, and turned away from her, "Our cover's blown. Those dumbasses down in the labs have turned Wolfwrath from corruptible to incorruptible. Since we got word from our scouts that both sacred swords are in the Star Warriors' possessions...the darkness that harbors and controls his intentions and thoughts have been dispelled."

"But can't we just ressurrect another demon to set on them?" the woman asked. The man made a fist,

"Don't you get it? Both swords are theirs! And while they grow more and more bonded to the power they harbor...demon beasts made of pure darkness will dissolve immeadiatly just by being near. Demons with hearts will be turned. In other words, we're screwed."

"What do you propose we do, sir?"

The man sighed, and turned to her, "Fire everyone. Destroy the evidence. Kill the experiments. Texico was never here, never existed. Got it?" when the woman looked shocked, he went on, "I'm too old and rich to be thrown in jail, or worse. I'd rather play dumb and live than be caught and killed. Everyone gets out alive if we shut down and evacuate ?"

The woman nodded, "I'll get on it, sir."

The man nodded, "Texico never existed..." he repeated.

...

"There's Popstar!" Kirby cried, seeing the planet form in the distance. Meta Knight nodded, and watched in dismay as the planet, once green and beautiful from space, materialized in the windshield as a gray, dead world. He turned to Kirby as Popstar began to fly toward them,

"How's your wing?" he asked hastily.

Kirby smiled, "Can you say, 'Mom is awesome'?" he stretched both golden wings to both sides. Thanks to Stella's powerful healing abilities, and Kirby's quick regeneration, his wing was only left with a bit of sore stiffness.

Meta Knight nodded in agreement. Popstar was coming in fast. The plates on the Texico ship began to glow hotly, and the small room heated up, "Once we enter the stratosphere," Meta Knight said, "We jump."

Kirby's shocked gaze snapped toward him, "Jump?" he echoed in alarm.

Meta Knight could now see the treetops below, coming in swiftly. Instead of verbally confirming Kirby's disbelief, he hit the Eject button.

The roof rolled back, and the two puffballs flew into the air. Meta Knight's wings flew out, and Kirby's beat through the air, "What...!" he gasped. The ground was flying up, he was flying down...all too fast, it seemed, "I don't think we're gonna make it!" Kirby shouted, his body trembling as he rapidly descended the altitudes.

Meta Knight swooped in next to him, "Don't think, Kirby." he said, and withdrew Galaxia. Kirby nodded,unsheathing Andromeda. _Deja vu._ Kirby thought.

He and Meta Knight fell, side-by-side, wingtips touching. Kirby and Meta Knight's sword paws' were lined up with each other, the swords directly side-by-side. Simutaneously, both blades lifted overhead.

_TWIN..._

The blade points came slashing down, both in perfect sync with each other,

_SWORD...BEAM!_

A crescent of light pulled away from each sword, merging into one. Electrical currents flailed behind it, and cyclones of flames wheeled in its wake. It roared with the intensity of its power, yet it fell silently. It shot down, and upon hitting the ground, a visible shock wave blasted outward, spreading rapidly over the surface of the world, sending a blinding light into the sky.

Kirby bit back a scream. There was too much whiteness, too much silence...too much nothing.

Not enough feel. Kirby couldn't feel his own body. It was as if only his mind floated in this sea of sheer whiteness, and nothing else.

Voices...he could now hear voices. Slowly, feeling seeped back into his body, but it all still felt numb.

"Kirby, you've done it."

It was Bun's voice.

"You and Meta Knight saved Popstar...I can't thank you enough. The planet I loved as my home no longer suffers...thanks, Kirby."

Kirby blinked hazily, not seeing Bun, and tried to speak, "Am I dying...? What...?"

Silence.

Bun's voice came again, "You promised Fumu."

Kirby blinked again.

"You promised her."

Silence...

...

...

...

Color exploded back into his vision. Kirby sat up hurridly, realizing he was on the ground. Quickly intaking his surroundings through blurry eyes, he saw Meta Knight sitting up a few feet away. He hurried over, "Did we do it?" he gasped, the world still horribly unfocused all around him.

Meta Knight stood up slowly, and stared at his little brother. He looked up, seeing the sun again, no longer misted behind dark clouds. The leaf canopy of the trees overhead shone with a green radiance, expressing summer joy. A clear, warm breeze blew by. Meta Knight sighed, and nodded, "We did it, Kirby."

Kirby, focus resumed in his vision, let out a small cheer of triumph, "Should we see how the town is?" he asked. Meta Knight's gaze darkened,

"It would be better if we didn't. Remember how paranoid they've become during this time." he said. Kirby nodded in understanding,

"Where's the ship?" he asked.

Meta Knight sighed, "With luck, a tree broke its fall." he said grimly. The brother puffs flew through the forest to confirm, and what they found even coaxed a triumphant laugh from the stoic Meta Knight. There was the ship, halfway lodged in the crown of a treetop.

After extracting the branches fromthe ship, and boarding, Meta Knight and Kirby acsended again, passing over Cappy Town as they left the planet for the last time. The townspeoples' air felt relieved, and even cheerful to be rid of the horrible disease that took so many in so little time. Even the clouds appeared to smile.

And Kirby thought he even saw Bun's face in the clouds, being the source of the smile.

Kirby smiled, looking at his sword, and then at Meta Knight.

Meta Knight smiled beneath his mask, "We've done it, Kirby." he said, "Let's go home..."


	33. Epilogue

~Epilogue~

Stella sighed, "This is one of those moments I wish I could see..." she murmured. Two years ago, her sons had banished the Pestilence from the universe for good, and returned to Flightstar. Instead of taking residence in her old shelter, they had all moved to the oasis where Wolfwrath had discovered his reflection. The oasis, once unnamed, became known as Twin Sword Oasis.

On this paticular day, the leaves that draped overhead and the broad desert flowers seemed to radiate brighter in the summer sun. It was a special day, Stella had known for several days since Kirby had told her. Part of her rejoiced, and part of her was aching in saddness, knowing this step in life would take her son farther from her. Yet it was a happy time, and she looked forward to playing her part in it.

She blindly let her gaze wander over the assembled people in the Oasis clearing, who were only her sons, and Wolfwrath. Fumu was not here. Kirby stood next to her, and she affectionately patted his head. He chuckled sheepishly.

...

Fumu sighed, blowing a flower petal from her face. Today was indeed special for her, and now as an eighteen-year-old, accepted the fact her child days were over. She slowly began to walk into the clearing, the only audience, Meta Knight and Wolfwrath, stood on either side of her path. The former demon beast grinned at her, but still looked intimidated at his fangs showed. Fumu giggled softly. Wolfwrath sure looked cute in a bowtie, even if it did look too small for his body. Meta Knight was watching her with soft amber eyes, and he nodded as she passed.

_This is how it was meant to be. _The knight thought as the damsel passed him, approaching his little brother near Stella.

Words from Stella were spoken, but Fumu hardly heard them. She was staring fixtatedly at Kirby, who returned her gaze with equal warmth. Stella spoke something else, and Kirby stepped toward her, gently taking her hand and slipping something onto her finger. It was a metal ring, with a ruby like the ones on Andromeda stuck to it. Her eyes teared up as she read the ingraving on the ring. _We are two halves of our whole._

Stella's voice rang clearly through the oasis, the words Fumu had dreamed of hearing for many months...

"I now pronounce you Star Warrior and wife..."

~End~


End file.
